Successful customer experiences
Customers today look for authentic experiences, for an atmosphere that invites
them to stay but is at the same time new. “Bob & Mary” is a new Burger Bistro in
Düsseldorf started with the objectives of being outstanding in taste and design.
The two protagonists and eponyms, “Bob the Bear” and “Mary the Little Bird”
are reflected in the corporate image as well as in many details in the interior,
including the differing male and female design elements.
Besides the topics of food and health, culture and art are big drivers of customer
experience in retail. Exciting examples include the exclusive new Dior 6-floor
flagship boutique in Seoul, now Asia’s largest store, designed as a monumental
dress. And the populace version: the Ikea Street Art Pop-up Store in Amsterdam.
The `community´ makes us move and adhere to the brand’s world. Particularly
the big sports brands play on this consistently. Just think of the Pharell Williams
community and the Adidas collection, or the Nike Run Club. Community
or Neighbourhood Stores are parallel concepts. With its Berlin Flagship
Neighbourhood Store, Adidas has brought neighbourhood values to the Berlin
retail scene.
There are marketing driven stores and sales driven stores. A Flagship Store is not
designed for the onsite profit; it is just a huge marketing tool. Have a look at the
Puma Flagship Store in Osaka where the customer experience is foremost whilst
the pr oducts themselves are of minor importance. The same applies to the Pirelli
Store in Milan which opened in 2015; it’s not about tyres anymore. Or the Stuart
Weitzman Flagship Store designed and realized in 2014 by Zaha Hadid Architects.
Within the Flagship Stores there are Performance Stores like the Nike Fashion
Island Experience Store in Newport Beach, where you can test the products by
following Nike’s store claim: come run with us.
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africandesignmagazine.com