Verizon is seeking to change the way consumers shop its technologies and services with a new “Next Gen” store concept. The first location just opened in San Francisco.
The store resembles Apple’s store aesthetic and features a large display of mobile devices, headphones, speakers and other tech products. Part of the inspiration for the look and feel of the stores came from traditional newsstands and coffee shops, with community tables and areas for customers to engage with the products and each other.
“We introduced communal tables that we took from the idea of a coffee shop,” said Kambiz Hemati, Executive Creative Director, Retail Design and Creative, Branded Environments for Verizon in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “We wanted the store to become part of the community and for consumers to have a feeling of community where they can get the expertise and services they want to have at the store level.”
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In addition, as Verizon’s product is technology, the brand aims to make the store more human by using natural materials for displays, such as wood. Other features in the store include:
- A “What We Love” section that highlights employees’ favorite products;
- A “Suggested Items” area near complementary products, similar to online recommendations;
- Easily accessible stock placed near displays for a quick path to purchase; and
- An interchangeable product feature board, similar to a billboard, that displays hot items.
“We started looking at our stores and we were trying to upgrade the look and feel, but we had other criteria,” said Hemati. “As the business is evolving, we were rethinking the store experience because we were adding services and other products. We wanted the products to be the most important element, and the merchandise and services that we have to be up front and center to make shopping easier.”
