A new blueprint for one of the country’s most beloved brands
We worked with Icelandic DIY and hardware chain BYKO to completely rethink their customer experience – from their strategic foundation, communications planning and design of their retail stores to what they actually sell in them. It was met with rave reviews from our clients and their customers alike, and is currently being implemented across their (many) stores around the country.
Task
BYKO is Iceland’s largest and oldest hardware retailer, offering a wide range of building products to homeowners and professional construction workers alike.
But after 60 years of success, their team could see the market changing – and saw the need to change with it. In response to growing customer demand for more specific and tailored solutions, they asked us to be their partner in future-proofing the business for the next several decades.
This included a complete, top-to-bottom rethinking of everything from store design, store formats, product assortment and customer journey to communication initiatives.
Solution
We helped them establish a unique market position, tailored to specifically target two audiences: people who work in construction and those who want to take on renovation tasks in their own home with confidence. This meant shifting the focus from individual products to the needs of people, helping to make life easy for homebuilders while making our assortment inspirational for homeowners.
By disrupting the brand’s product-focused thinking, we brought to life a single proposition for both B2C and B2B audiences – becoming the trusted partner in any task, big or small.
This became a creative concept under the tagline “We do it together”, connecting the brand’s strategy to communication that uplifted and empowered consumers in the emotional moments that accompany any renovation project.
This spirit of partnership flowed into our retail store design, which aimed to simplify the purchase process for less experienced constructors with placement and signage that connected each individual product to the specific tasks it’s useful for, rather than within categories that don’t always make sense to people outside of the trade.
It also incorporated a range of design elements that felt approachable and unintimidating, like a successful DIY project – including unfinished plywood, home-like demonstration areas, and digital integrations that connected the store to the brand’s online footprint, too.
Results
The brand concept was implemented in BYKO’s flagship Kópavogur, Reykjavik store in late 2023, and should be fully rolled out around the country by the end of 2025.
“The strategy is attainable, ambitious, and actionable and will serve as a guiding light for years to come. We are extremely happy with the end result”.
Dr. Edda Blumenstein
Director of customer and retailing transformation at BYKO
