Retail 2.0 – An Integrated Design Experience

Online Shopping has transformed consumer behavior. Today’s consumers do thorough research online, have access to information, understand the products they want and make informed choices.

E-commerce has also impacted traditional brick-and-mortar retail industries as consumers can get what they want faster, with more variety and, possibly, at better prices.

So, how can retail stores overcome this challenge? More specifically, what new experience can retail offer their consumers? 

Even when it comes to dining, consumers expect more than just good food on the menu. We all do a search online before going to dinner with friends. In a situation where so many choices are being presented to the consumer, how can a brand stand out to their target audience?

Also, it isn't enough just being a valid choice for consumers – F&B owners also want their restaurants to become a place where regulars frequently patronize.

In this article, we cover some critical problems with integrated design solutions which usually face by the retail business.

Begin with a Great Brand and Create Brand Awareness!

A product's unique selling point (USP) plays a crucial role in differentiating your brand from the competition.

Let's study this example to get a better understanding of the implications: Two brands, brand A and brand B, sell the same products. However, brand A sells locally grown, organic products while B sells rare, imported products. In this scenario, it is clear to consumers looking for imported goods to go to brand B. But how does brand A let consumers know what they're offering?

The answer is brand awareness. The right brand awareness not only lets consumers have the right feeling for a brand but also helps it stand out in retail spaces, drawing the right kind of attention.

To achieve this, a brand needs to be well defined by a unique branding visual, which should extend beyond the product itself but into the interior or virtual space where the brand resides.  A brand's visual theme should also become associated with a specific material and colour – and this theme should be consistent as dictated by a defined branding guideline. 

In addition to the branding guidelines we've just described, attention should also be given to the design of a brand's main retail shop. A well-planned interior space isn't just attractive and draws favourable attention at first glance, but also encourages consumers to share their positive experiences on social media – and that's where a brand's name, popularity and culture build from.

Positive, sustainable growth through a harmonious workplace (people and environment)

The success of a business depends largely on the efficiency and quality of its employees. So, it is necessary to have a motivated workforce.  Work environments affect the quality of life of the people within – after all, they interact with this environment on a daily basis.

Since your employees spend a large part of their day in a retail shop, a dull and monotonous environment actually hampers their productivity. It is important to have a comfortable, yet functional, workplace that truly revitalizes your workforce.

It is just as crucial to create a space that's functional, visually appealing, comfortable and inviting. Hence, increasing the productivity and efficiency of your employees will also result in more profits for your business.

Another aspect of the workplace that needs to be seen is the way it allows consumers and employees to interact with one another. A well-planned workplace should prevent employee disruptions due to the movement of shoppers/consumers, or vice versa as employees deliver services. When both parties are satisfied  and the space functions well, sales will definitely experience positive growth.

Utilize redundant space in your retail create unexpected value

Retail space is costly and is calculated by the square foot. This brings both challenges and advantages.

So how can retail maximize their space to contribute to the value of the business? An iconic interior element which consumers tend to associate with positively a brand is its purposeful utilization of space. An interior design that masterfully identifies with optimal space utilization has the ability to generate significant brand awareness.

For an excellent example, let’s take look at the Apple store located in Orchard Road Singapore – a place that inspires visitors to rave excitedly about its grand staircase on social media (which, by the way is a replica of the original in Apple's HQ in Cupertino, California). One couple even had their wedding shoot inside the Apple store. That’s a great success story where a purely functional staircase creates value – all in line with a smart marketing strategy!

A well planned retail space also pays attention to a consumer's 'experiential journey'. A popular contemporary trend that brands follow is building spaces that make customers feel welcome. The positive experience that customers have then translated into positive feedback for the brand.

Another way that builds upon this positive, experiential journey is to design a shop layout that naturally guides customers from start to finish, allowing them to fully explore every inch of the shop before coming to the check-out counter, never needing to backtrack to get there. However, this decision also depends on the size and layout of the store itself, which means you'll have to use your best judgment on the most natural point to have that check-out counter.

Maintaining a retail space is challenging but not definitely possible

The retail business really facing a lot of challenge compare to previous time, it’s a butterfly effect by the evolution of consumer behaviour, but with proper adjustment, it is possible to see it as an opportunity instead of a crisis.

Though maintaining a retail business today is challenging compared to the past, with many succumbing to competition from online retail and the evolution of consumer behavior, with proper adjustments and planning it is still possible to see the challenge as an opportunity rather than a crisis and pull through better and more successful than ever.

This article is contributed by THINK ABOUT.

THINK ABOUT is a premium TREND DRIVER integrated design consultancy with the characteristic of young, trend maker, and creative thinking. We are unwilling to be mediocre, through our combination nature of branding consult, architecture design, interior design & marketing strategize, we speak different languages in one sentence, to concentrate and connect the possibilities in between different professional knowledge into one consistent, impactful, vogue and idiographic MASTERPIECE for our premium client to enhance the complete experience of their brand's culture & value.