Challenge
Panera’s café footprint is not uniform. Each location differs in layout, size, and operational setup, creating variability in how environments must be delivered and installed.
At this scale, executing marketing in-store introduces challenges beyond design alone. POP and marketing materials must work within real store conditions, accounting for space constraints and how they are installed and maintained by store teams.
This introduces a complex set of requirements:
- Thousands of locations with different layouts, fixtures, and spatial constraints
- Ongoing new builds, remodels, and updates to existing cafés
- Multiple POP and marketing materials, including menu systems, wall treatments, signage, and merchandising displays
- The need to deliver materials that store teams can install quickly and accurately
Each café requires a version of the materials that fit its specific profile. This means managing thousands of variations across POP and in-store elements while maintaining a consistent brand experience.
Without a structured system, variability in layouts and materials can lead to inconsistent setups, increased efforts for store teams, and a risk of disconnect between design intent and in-store execution.
To support growth and maintain brand consistency, Panera needed a partner who could manage this complexity, delivering environments that are not only designed well but executed reliably across every café.
Solution
Imagine supported Panera not only through creative development, but by building a system designed for real-world execution. The connected branded environment system brings together planning, production, packaging, and distribution to ensure environments are delivered consistently across locations.
Imagine’s team worked closely with Panera’s marketing team as well as data and graphics team to create a process that translates campaign inputs into store-specific materials and execution guidance.
Each café is supported as a unique environment, with POP and marketing materials tailored to its layout and operational needs. To enable store-level execution, Imagine developed café-specific install guides based on what each location receives. These guides clearly show what materials are included and how they should be installed, allowing store teams to set up quickly and consistently without interpretation.
Integrated workflows connect directly to production and fulfillment, ensuring materials are accurate, aligned with current campaigns and ready for rollout. Imagine also ensures marketing materials and POP align with new builds and remodels, maintaining consistency as cafés evolve.
The result is a system that absorbs complexity—delivering consistent, ready-to-execute environments across thousands of cafés.
Results
By connecting design, production, and installation into a unified system, Panera transformed how its café environments are built and maintained across locations.
- More efficient store-level setupLocation-specific install guides remove guesswork by showing exactly what each café receives and how it should be set up. Materials are delivered based on each café’s needs, allowing store teams to spend less time interpreting instructions and more time executing.
- More consistent in-store executionMarketing materials are installed more consistently across locations, reducing variation and ensuring campaigns are presented as intended.
- Improved coordination across projectsMarketing, production, and execution are aligned through a connected workflow, enabling smoother rollouts for new cafés and remodels with fewer delays or process gaps.
- Scalable system for growthThe system supports thousands of locations and multiple formats, allowing Panera to expand without increasing complexity. It provides a consistent foundation for ongoing updates, remodels, and future innovation.
Branded environments at scale aren’t just designed; they’re built through systems that ensure consistent execution in real-world conditions. By connecting inputs through execution, Imagine enables Panera to deliver consistent, effective campaigns across every café.