Physical retail is no longer about focusing on the transaction and cramming your store full of products to sell. Today's retailers need to create great experiences for their customers and make their store as engaging as possible. Here are some of our favourite ways in which we’ve seen brands do this.
Homely environments: Pitfield, Old Street Station
Make your customers feel at home. Add soft furnishings to create a space your customers want to hang out in. Pitfield filled their space with their comfy chairs, ornate rugs and beautiful accessories and created an environment no one wanted to leave.
Experiential activity: Eastpak, Commercial Street
Hosting live events and workshops in the store enables the audience to engage with your brand on a new level and add a new layer of interest. When Eastpak launched a pop-up shop to showcase their new bags, they collaborated with local artists who created live art installations in-store every day.
Unusual materials: Suitcase, Fulham Road
Use unusual materials to display your products. We love how Suitcase Magazine planted their products in trays containing soil. Simple yet stylish, it was a refreshing change to glass jewellery counters.
Interactive storefronts: Finery, 26 Greek Street
Remember to utilize your shop window. It’s not just about what happens inside your store, it’s important to consider how you can engage people on the street. Finery London are a great example of this. Their interactive storefront allowed people to sign up online for exclusive offers.
Sample, sample, sample: Propercorn, Old Street Station
Sample, sample, sample. Who can resist the temptation of a freebie? Allow people to taste, touch and smell your products. Propercorn hooked in new customers by putting their popcorn out on display and inviting people to come and try it.
Hero your product: Aether, South Molton Street
Let your product do the talking. If you’re trying to communicate something new, sometimes it helps to strip back your space and let the product speak for itself. Aether did this to launch their new Cone music player. They heroed the product and turned the store into a gallery-style space to showcase the Cone.
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