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INSIGHTS: A DISCUSSION ABOUT “PUBLIC SPACE” DESIGN
Gaddis Architect specializes in all phases of commercial and commercial retail design, design management and construction. If maximizing the success of your business by optimizing the performance of your store, or commercial space design is a goal, then attending the following “Insights” could provide some very real benefits. Many common, and some not so common, design challenges are analyzed. Solutions aimed at increasing retail traffic, creating visual presence in various environments, and expressing not only a particular shopping experience but also the business’s brand, are presented. We think that all design is, on some level at least, retail design. Please scroll on, start a dialogue, contact us anytime.
Retail Architect: Asking when is enough enough?
Every time I see one of these pink T Mobile stores I wonder if the glowing pink walls, circa 2011, have translated into increased sales. The design, we are told, creates a positive customer experience by sporting an open plan, service desks, interactive centers, merchandising that puts device and accessory together, and mostly a wow factor. In 2013 & 14 the number of customers increased dramatically thanks, we are told, to T Mobile’s “Uncarrier” program. Whether the store design has had an impact is hard to say, excepting the wow factor part, which to my way of thinking has little to do with the customer’s experience and everything to do with presence in the mall scape. Maybe, in a retail market where products are sold across every media type, showing up is all that is required from the actual “bricks & mortar” store.
I question whether the same “just show up” type of design strategy works very well for product lines more dependent upon customer interaction to complete a sale. I would suggest that, in this situation, the wow factor can actually cancel the customer experience, which is exactly what is happening to the sun glass shop in the photo. Extreme light levels, positioned behind the merchandise, combine with the white “daylight” color temperature to obscure all product detail and and cast a ghoulish glow onto a shopper, even to the extent that the very white walls actually appear gray. If this is not enough, the edge lit shelves become a focal point, a gimmick, attracting more attention than the merchandise placed upon them. Theses are expensive displays with a lot of technology, and if creating a positive shopping experience is the goal, they fail miserably. It was actually painful to stand in the space. They do cause the store to jump out of the mall scape, though. Is it enough?
Retail Architect 2015 Trends: between new and passé is timeless
It is possible to think of this shop as “timeless,” as a quick look says a lot about their customer. Doubtless a romantic woman who places feminine style before budget and appreciates a bit of drama. Take a guess at the location and date? Then follow the link for the answer.
I started 2015 by attending and event about a subject near and dear to those of us intimately involved with the retail trade. Namely, “Marketing Trends for 2015,” a worthwhile presentation sponsored by the Alexandria Small Business Development Center, and given by Maurisa Potts, CEO and Founder of Spotted MP Marketing and PR. I left thinking that voluminous amounts of available market data make it possible to predict future buying habits of the American public and even help define a narrative about their expectations in terms of both on and offline shopping environments. Knowing how those shopping environments will end up looking is something else entirely.
Jeff Green writing in Chain Store Age summarizes events of 2014, saying that retailers are being squeezed by rising real estate costs, increases in the minimum wage, and online shopping. Furthermore, the last of these leads to value shopping and, at least partially, defines the challenge of 2015, which is for a retailer to successfully optimize sales over all distribution channels. A tall order, addressed to the extent possible by author and “Retail Prophet,” Doug Stephens when he tells us 2015 will find retailers thinking of their sales force as either highly skilled brand ambassadors or clerical type order processors. There will be no room for mediocrity as it applies to, not only product, but also staff and the physical environment. New “brick and mortar” stores will be seen as places of collaboration, customization, and experience. I have found some of this to be underway for awhile. Certainly creating an “experience” focused shopping environment aimed at a target market has been an emerging store planning goal for at least 2014 and probably beyond. Stephens says the trend is being further fueled by tech and media savvy shoppers with an insatiable appetite for something new and translating in a tendency toward shorter leases and popup shops, even to the extent that Stephens referred to future mall managers as curators. As a retail architect I see this manifesting in specialization and variety and suggest a degree of caution, as straddling the line between new and passe is timeless, always a goal, not often accomplished.
What do retail architects really do?
It is probably safe to say that many people know little, if anything, about what architects actually do. How, then, can one benefit from an architect’s, or other design professional’s, services when faced with planning a new store? We have found that the most successful projects happen when our clients have a clear understanding of the architectural and store planning process. To that end, we are introducing the following free publications:
“From Idea to Bricks & Mortar Store – The Retail Store Prototype: What is it and why do it?”
This is a 50 minute power point presentation, so allow enough time, or start and stop as time permits. Also, a transcript is provided if you prefer. A comprehensive view of the architectural process required to build a new retail store is first outlined, and then related to the business plan. It has valuable information for anyone seriously considering opening or expanding a retail store.
“Seven Mistakes Expanding or Startup Retailers Make When Building a New Store”
This is a one page document that outlines major catch points that can cost new or expanding retailers time, money or both. It is a good quick reference for any startup or newly expanding retailer with a building project somewhere in their future.
- Please select the link to receive these “must read” free publications, especially directed towards expanding or startup retailers.