Online vs In-store Shopping

Hi,
I have been researching on the current trends in shopping and came to the conclusion that these days the percentage of online shoppers is increasing tremendously.
This lead me to write a hypothesis of my own on understanding and finding out certain generic principles and corner stones that would differentiate online shopping from in-store shopping.

My research: I considered 4 kinds of retail experiences that a shopper could have inside a store and listed out the principles for those. Based on analysis of these principles I developed generic principles that could be used for future retail concepts to differential in-store shopping experience from online shopping experience.
These were as follows:

 

 

The principles

1. The retail experience should revolve around the activities of interest of the target audience. It should enhance the leisure experience of the customers.

2. Retail activities should promote family experience and interaction with friends. It should help people spend more time with their families and friends.

3. The retail stores should organize events at regular intervals, which could be for invited guests only or open to all. These events will help people plan their outings and would make them visit the stores rather than buying stuff online.

4. The stores should aim at social interaction between the customers, so people get a chance to meet others and exchange thoughts and ideas. This is something that is not possible online.

5. The stores could provide a kind of special advice service that is available for the audience only in the store. This would motivate them to visit the store for personal advice that would add value to their lives.

6. Retail could be taken out of stores to places where the target audience is, and where they go for leisure or for fulfilling some need in their lives. This would help them engage with the brand in places the brand is needed the most.

7. Personal shopping experience could be set up for customers who could take prior appointments from the stores. During these sessions the customer could get a chance to get advice and guidance right through his shopping experience. The brand could also help the customer add value to his life by either re- designing and styling his wardrobe, helping him furnish the interiors of his house or finding the perfect present for someone special.

8. The customer should have a say in the brand, stores and products and should be allowed to give his inputs if he wishes to which should be taken into account while designing further retail experiences.

3 Corner stones that in store experience should be based on:

Social Interaction 

Value Addition 

Leisure Enhancement

Why do people shop?

Here is a little research on the psychology of shoppers.

How are men different from women?

Understanding the psychologies of men and women while designing a retail store!

How will the principles for retail change in the future?

These are some of the principles that i came up with, after researching on Apple, Ikea and some other brands and their respective retail strategies which have made them superior to the others in the market. These principles according to me will cater to the need of the changing phenomena of shopping with the increase of online shopping.

Principles (Subject to change):

1. A Place to socialize: The store should be a place where customers can just hang out, have a fantastic experience, browse machines, talk to people and sales associates. A place where people wander around with a coffee in their hands, spending leisure time with their kids, getting fantastic service and having a little chat with the staff who they know very well. We could look more in terms of the collaboration of shopping centres, high streets with theatres, museums, galleries etc.

2. Value creation for customers: There has to be a shift from ‘How do we sell more stuff,’ to value creation. The store has to help people enrich their lives; it has to add value beyond simply providing merchandise. 

3. Integration between virtual and physical: There should be integration between the virtual and the physical experience. The retail strategy should aim to have an interaction between mobile, Internet and in-store experience in a way that creates value.

4. Intuition Oriented: While planning the retail strategy it is very important to trust your intuition much more than data. If everyone flowed the data, they would all land up in the same place. These days department stores are redundant because they import the same products, price them the same way. They carry the same percent of private label to National Brands. The people whose primary strength is data analysis drive these.

5. Leadership and Deepening Human Connections: The stores are supposed to lead their customers. They should be able to anticipate the customer’s needs even before he knows what he wants.

6. Innovation: The stores need to be more innovative and creative while forming their retail strategies. They could have a completely different relationship with the city, turning city centres into gardens or playgrounds.

7. Exclusivity of brands and products: This will help to avoid the mind from numbering sameness of a product. When you go to a mall it's the same clothes, the same gadgets, the same books etc. The store should aim to provide an experience which is not available anywhere else- it is exclusive!

8. 'A- Job-to-be-done'- a job that has high priority in peoples lives: There should be a clear formula for positioning the retail operations. 

9. Destination Shopping: The stores should be such that the customers visit the stores just to see the local ‘vibe,‘ even if there is no particular ‘need ‘for something. The questions should be –How can we reinvent the stores to enrich our customer’s lives? In doing this we might just create the space in which we can re-cast and revitalize our shopping centre communities.

10. 'Here today Gone tomorrow'- curiosity oriented: There should be a sense of excitement and urgency in the minds of the customers. Customers should be eager to know what is coming next. The retail strategies should be oriented towards something that nobody can find again. This could be something like a site for a number of pop-up stores that changes every week.

11. Experience the Products or the Brand: The brand or products should be readily available for the customers to experience and use. They should get a chance to experience the brand.

Hi, sorry haven't posted for so many days!

I am writing a book for retail display. The title of my book is going to be "Step- by- Step Guide for Retail Display Design" As the name suggests it is going to be book dedicated to those people who are interested in learning how to design retail displays. 

This book is targeting people who have an idea about branding and now want to further specialize in retail design display. My book will teach the entire process of designing a display right from the initial creative thinking strategies to the final production and presentation for the client.

I will be giving my special "tips and techniques" in the middle of the process to make it easier for my audience to follow and come up with amazing displays! This book is also a showcase for my knowledge, ideas and work. It will act as a portfolio and also an instructional piece for others to learn from.

There are some images of my initial developmental work and the major contents, will be posting updates as I write more.

A Wonderful future with Glass!

Hi, Please watch this wonderful video, its a follow up of a day made of Glass, which i have posted earlier in my blog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=X-GXO_urMow

It talks about highly engineered glass combined with companion technology. There would be applications that transfer between personal tablets and large screens or displays.

In the future even the sustainable resources will be able to be used efficiently with the help of the future touch technology. For example the unsightly solar panels used now will be replaced with low-cost high efficiency, photovoltaic cells used in roofs. This will also be an attractive architectural feature.

There will be a large-scale, seamless, durable, multi touch glass that communicates. The same technology exists today in smaller tables and displays, but it will be developed on a large scale in the future.

I loved the concept of an "All Glass Room," where the walls are made of glass and can become active displays when required to figure different situations. This will make it easier to share and collaborate. Even in the field of retail i feel this will be a very effective store. The walls can be updated with new products and merchandise, things can be shared directly, the walls can act as mirrors when required, become opaque when needed, also purchasing can be done just by gesturing or waving your card. Some part of this exists even today but again on a very small scale.
Glass with special needs will also be developed, like a special glass that inhibits the growth of micro-organisms. This could be used in eating joints as tables, in health clubs and hospitals.

For all this a lot of bandwidth is needed, especially for so much data projection. But as they have mentioned in the video, glass optical fibers can be used for this purpose and designed for the requirements.

They have also mentioned a large-scale, durable information wall made of glass. This could be used to create barriers, its informative, interactive, aesthetically attractive, doesn't block landscapes and is made of glass. In the field of retail i feel this could be a very effective device to advertise and market products or it could also be used for branding. Again it can be worked with personal tablets and can be updated easily. This could be combined with augmented reality to enhance the information provided and to link it to other related content.

Please watch the video and enjoy:)

Touch the Future!

Hi,
I came across this wonderful video about how touch technology will develop in future, with everything being connected and easily accessible. I personally loved the first bit where they show augmented reality glasses which help to translate languages and also show where are things lacted. I feel this can add a lot of value to the field of retail and branding. Since it will be easier for customers to locate products and where they can be purchased from. Also it will help in giving them maximum information about products, they will be able to share that with others instantly and get suggestions and opinions.

you can view the link at http://worrydream.com/ABriefRantOnTheFutureOfInteractionDesign/

RUN...RUN....RUN

Hi, please view my latest work for NIKE RUNNING and give your comments and suggestions.

This is a pop up store, which has an interactive wall 50m long that is gesture track technology sensitive. It has a menu at one end, which is a record of all the people who have run in front of the wall. The person has to select anyone from the list of names and speeds on the menu according to his capability and race with that person in front of the wall. The wall will track the running of the person and store the speed and result of the race. If the person is able to beat the selected opponent then the winner replaces his name on the menu. This is a good and interactive way to make people run as well as keep a record of all the people who have actually visited the store. Also it will motivate people to try harder next time. There is also an option for them to share their results on Facebook and tweet them as well.

The exterior is made from wood and glass. The shoe display shelf is visible from inside as well as outside because of glass. The modular set up of this pop up is quite simple, since it has been divided into 4 parts, which can be assembled easily. This can be set up near parks, beaches, lakes etc. whichever place people use to exercise and run.

I came to this final concept by using the process of creative thinking, iteration analysis and evaluation.  Finally the concept that fulfilled the criteria developed from the brief was my final concept that I further iterated and developed.

CRITERIA BASED ON THE BRIEF:
One Sport: The design concept displays one area of sport that the brand represents i.e. running.

            Revisit Encouragement: The display provides in incentive to the customer to revisit since, they can try and do better in the race with practice.

            Marketing Strategy: The concept tells the audience exactly what Nike Running wants to promote and encourages them to share their results with others through social media sites. This acts as a good marketing strategy and promotes the brand.

            Brand Engagement: The visitor is able to engage with the concept and hence is able to have a good brand experience.

           After Taste: Its human nature to want to achieve more and more, I feel through this display every person will want to beat someone better than him. Hence this interaction will leave an aftertaste of the brand experience.

 I have also uploaded some of my other design concepts out of which i selected the final one.

OPTION 1: DUSTBIN POP-UP STORE FOR NIKE RUNNING:

This is a pop-up store in the form of a dustbin. It can be set up close to a park or any area where people go for running or walking like a beach or lake in some places. It has a wired mesh wall on the exterior displaying all the unhealthy foods dumped into the bin. There are Nike Running shoes showcased on the wired mesh wall contrasting with the rubbish at the back. The shoes have a QR code on the display windows, which can be scanned for more information. The main concept behind this pop-up is to dump all unhealthy habits and start running to just do it!

On the inside the entire structure is wooden and is in the form of a running stadium with planks of wood used as benches for the stadium and the tracks being created with red sand, with a green circular patch in the centre of the store. The shoe trial benches represent the sitting stands at the stadium with a ramp next to them used for displaying shoes as shown in the image.

The store has a showcase zone even before entering the store so people know what exactly Nike running is all about. On entering it has a trial zone and finally a buying zone where people can

 OPTION 3: NIKE RUNNING TREADMILL POP-UP:

This is a treadmill pop-up store for Nike Running. It is something that uses a lot of new media and technology. It consists of 6 treadmill belts, which have biometric analyzers attached to them with touch sensitive mirrors in front. The person has to get onto a belt and start running, based on the analysis the system will provide suggestions of the perfect shoe for that person based on his body metrics and style of running. These options will be shown on the mirror in front along with his reflection. He can choose the shoe he wants to try on by gesturing in front of the mirror. On doing that he can virtually try on shoes and see how they look on him while running. These is also an option to share with friends on Facebook and get comments and suggestions. Also the shoes can be bought there itself by the pay option.

OPTION 4: NIKE RUNNING POP-UP:

This is a pop-up in a bus. The bus has a not in service and a no entry sign on it stating that start running and walking. It has maps of walking routes in the front motivating people to walk. The shoe prints on the bus indicate walking and the bus showcases Nike Running shoes.

OPTION 5: NIKE CYLINDER POP-UP:

This is a cylindrical structured pop-up, where the outer wall of the store is interactive. I have designed 2 interactive experiences. The first one is a shoelace animation where on running around the wall, which is gesture track sensitive, the shoelace animates into a running stick figure. The second one is based on the Nike Fuel station band concept, which turns red to green if the goal set has been achieved. In this the wall has light bulbs arranged as pixels. On running around the wall with the speed set with the speed setting panel at the bottom the lights turn from red to green. Initially they turn red and on coming close to the goal set the lights start turning green. So colour patterns are created and stored in the data memory. Also these can be shared with friends on Facebook and can be tweeted as well. Also this will help the brand collect data on how many people visited that store and on the number of people who used the interactive wall. Marketing will also happened when people share it with more friends on the social media sites.

Want to design a good retail display?

PRINCIPLES OF RETAIL STORE DISPLAY:

·      The interiors, elements used, display shelves should reflect the image of the brand.

·      Visual merchandising should be uncluttered, logical and shoppable.

·      The products should be easily viewed and clearly identified.

·      The other elements used for display such as sofas, racks etc. should not take the focus off the main product.

·      The name of the brand can be used as a display element, or it should at least be reflected in the store.

·      The lighting used should highlight the product and should match the overall display.

·      The use of an interactive element adds to the brand experience.

·      Colours can be decided keeping in mind the brand image, the store, products and the total appeal of the store and experience.

·      Colours and materials add to the moods of the store.

·      The entire retail display can tell a story or theme to the customers to keep them interested in the store and its experience.

·      An experience can be made more exciting by creating speed and movement.

·      Using sharing options on social media sites can help in marketing the brand and its stores and products.

·      New and innovative substitutes for existing display elements add to the entire experience. For example using something else instead of regular mannequins in a clothes store.

How to become No.1 without increasing the number of stores?

Check this wonderful post on how Augmented Reality was used by Tesco in South Korea to become the No.1 department store.
Its interesting how they actually answered the brief.
You can view it at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGaVFRzTTP4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

"Life is a sport....Make it count!"

Hi, while researching about Nike and the kind of retails displays that have been done I came across this wonderful display based on the concept of Nike+ Fuelstation...and the Nike+ Band.
Its an amazing way of promoting a new product through retail display and interactivity. The display is very interactive and engaging.
Check it out at     http://knstrct.com/2012/03/12/nike-fuelstation-london/

IKEA.....real or not??

Brief: To design a concept using Augmented Reality for Ikea for a new and affordables a bedroom collection.

Criteria for my design:

·      New Media and Technology: The design should use Augmented reality.

·      Interactive: The design should be interactive and engaging.

·      Target Audience: The design should be audience specific and should cater to their needs and requirements. In this case it should be for the middle class families who want to furnish their bedrooms in a low budget and effective way. It should reflect a clear understanding for the customers thinking and mind set.

·      Effective: The design should be effective enough that customers like to use the interactive display and gain an in store experience.

·      Easy to Use: The display should be easy to use and understand.

Three rules for creating engaging experiences for customers
(Forrester Research)

Immediacy – getting the right content at the right time

Simplicity – use the right processes, and UI for the mobile channel

Context – relevant information for the stage of the buying experience

 Analysis based on the Criteria:

Option 1:

·      New Media and Technology: The design uses Augmented Reality and displays different patterns and designs onto the furniture kept in the display window.

·      Interactive: The design is quite engaging as it helps the customer to try out different looks of the bedroom colour and pattern.

·      Target Audience: I think this is very appropriate to the needs of the target audience as it gives them a variety to choose from before buying something which people want these days. They can visualize the room before going in for anything.

·      Effective: It provides a good window display experience as well will motivate customers to come into the store to have a look at other products available.

·      Easy to Use: The display is quite easy to use.

Option 2:

·      New Media and Technology: The design uses Augmented Reality and displays different arrangements of the room possible using the image of the actual room the customer wants to furnish.

·      Interactive: The design is quite engaging and helps customers visualize their actual room with the furniture they want to buy.

·      Target Audience: This is good for people who want to buy things for a specific room and confirm how the room will look before buying it.

·      Effective: It will be quite effective in promoting sale as people can see the room with the product before they buy something for it.

·      Easy to Use: The display is quite easy to use.

Option 3:

·      New Media and Technology: The design uses Augmented Reality and displays information about specific products the phone is pointed at.

·      Interactive: The design is quite engaging and gives information about the product along with its exporting location or special offers on the product. The customer can also share the product on Facebook and get others opinions on it.

·      Target Audience: This is good for people who want to know information about specific products, also to get their friends opinion on it before buying.

·      Effective: I think the people will get motivated to buy a product once they know about the product.

·      Easy to Use: The display is quite easy to use.

Option 4:

·      New Media and Technology: The design uses Augmented Reality and displays information about the store and products and offers available on them.

·      Interactive: The design is not quite engaging but gives an idea about the kind of products available at the store and where they would be placed inside. Also it tells about any kind of offers or sales available on the products.

·      Target Audience: This is good for people who are looking for specific products. They can see where exactly it is located in the store and go there directly. Also it is good to attract potential customers who can see the category of products available.

·      Effective: The customers will know where to go in the store to get the products they want. iT WILL MOTIVATE POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS INTO THE STORE.

·      Easy to Use: The display is quite easy to use.

EVALUATION

	New Media and Technology	Interactive	Target Audience	Effective	Easy to Use
Option 1	**	****	****	***	****
Option 2	****	****	****	****	***
Option 3	***	***	***	***	***
Option 4	*	*	*	**	**

Final Design Concept (Option 2)

Click a photo of the room you want to furnish or redesign, put your phone in front of the screen on the cube and view your room in 3D using augmented reality. Choose from options that become available on your phone on a sliding bar above the room image. See the changes in 3D again using augmented reality.

The Cinderella Pumpkin Carriage

 The Cinderella Pumpkin Carriage:

This display is for celebrating Hamley's 250th anniversary and is a pop-up concept. The design is an iteration of my character shadow display concept using the concept of semiotics.

It is a pumpkin Cinderella Carriage where children can climb into and play with the interactive window. The window will have the numbers 2,5, and 0 arranged randomly. On touching the screen the numbers re-arrange to form shadows of cartoon characters. In this case shadows of characters from the story of Cinderella.

When analysed using Peirce’s Triadic Theory I feel that this will be a symbol as it has a conventional relationship with the story of Cinderella. In order to understand what the Pumpkin Carriage signifies we need to know the story of Cinderella. Also it acts an index to an extent to show the toys available in the store and also that the display if for kinds since it showcases characters from a kids’ story.

The images above show the developmental stages of my concept using drawing for communication and finally designing my concept using a 3D software.

Other iterations:

Magic Mirror Display:

This is a display of Magic Mirrors; these have corresponding frames of certain cartoons or Disney characters. The interactive touch screen in placed on the mirrors where people can interact with them. On touching them the shadows of characters appear as the numbers get re-arranged.

According to Peirce’s Triadic Theory I think that this display acts as an index to showcase the kinds of toys available in the store.

The Interactive Trampoline Display:

This is a Trampoline display where children can jump and touch the interactive screen on top, which has a random arrangement of numbers 2,5 and 0. On touching the screen the numbers re-arrange to form shadows of cartoon characters.

Using Peirce’s Triadic Theory I feel this Interactive Trampoline acts as a sign as it visually resembles the thing it signifies i.e; Trampoline. This again acts as an index to a certain degree as it signifies a place for children to play hence gives an idea about the toyshop.