London florist fronts new AMEX branding
Leading London florist Janet Edwards has become the face of the new American Express branding launched earlier this year. Janet, who runs a busy shop in bustling Brixton has always embraced diversity and welcomed customers to her shop for over 10 years.
And that's why American Express is offering its UK merchants complimentary custom signage and point-of-purchase displays that underscore the importance of shops being welcoming to everyone. The new designs have been created by British-Turkish artist Erin Aniker - pictured below with Janet - who is one of a collective of artists and illustrators enlisted around the world by American Express to design custom signage as part of The Artist Series.
Each was tasked with creating artwork inspired by the phrase 'Always Welcome: Proudly Backing Our Community Together’. The campaign forms part of American Express’ ongoing commitment to help customers feel welcome and accepted wherever they are.
The launch of the complimentary signage comes as independent research* of both consumers and small businesses emphasises the importance of merchants showing their commitment to acceptance.
A poll of 2,000 UK adults showed that almost two-thirds (65%) believe that when deciding where to shop, it’s important to know a store is welcoming for all. Six in 10 (61%) said it was one of the biggest factors in where they’d be shopping over the coming months, making it a more important factor than brand loyalty (45%).
A second study of 250 shop owners and managers showed that almost three-quarters (72%) said they’d made efforts to demonstrate they were welcoming to all.
Erin Aniker’s design centres on the theme of communities coming together to support each other, using people of different backgrounds to create a physical support structure.
Dan Edelman, Vice President and UK General Manager, Merchant Services, American Express, added: “In the UK, we’re continuing to grow the number of shops, restaurants and high street venues that accept American Express. We know our new and loyal merchants want to show their customers that they offer a welcoming environment, and Erin’s artwork is a brilliant, very visual way for them to demonstrate that shoppers can come in and immediately feel at ease.”
Merchants can order the custom, complimentary Always Welcome signage – including window stickers, ‘We’re Open’ signs and digital images – by visiting the American Express POP webstore.
American Express has a long history of championing small businesses including through its Shop Small campaign and long-standing support of Small Business Saturday which celebrated a decade in the UK in 2022.
Editors Notes: American Express commissioned research from Opinium, who polled a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults in September and October 2022. A second survey polled 250 Senior Decision Makers at businesses of <50 employees in retail or hospitality, with a physical, customer-facing location.
