The most successful in-person retail concepts closely align the shopping experience with guest expectations. This is as true for new brands as it is for well-established ones: there are substantial benefits to a collaborative approach in which marketing and design teams work hand-in-glove to develop and roll out new brick-and-mortar retail concepts. The project team following this method takes research and analysis of the target buyer groups and uses the data to craft the ideal visual positioning strategy, filtered through ROI expertise that suggests how best to elevate the in-store experience.
Whether a concept is intended as a single unique flagship location or to be replicated across diverse venues regionally or nationally, the challenge for the rollout is all in the planning and design.
Brands correctly expect the design team to come to the task with a baseline understanding of how to optimize efficiencies of floor space, display concepts and sales team support – these are the basics. High-level design expertise is about more than creating and applying a template. The passionate and experienced designer listens carefully to their client and brings to the table a proven method for collaboration that translates the rollout DNA and brand identity into a unique, memorable experience that guests will want to revisit, turning the retail location into a destination, a part of a shopping ritual.
Based on our firm’s successful launches and rollouts for luxury and fashion leaders ranging from Jimmy Choo, Versace, Michael Kors, Victoria’s Secret and, most recently, Aston Martin, the following key takeaways offer guidance and benchmarks for brands and designers to consider when developing a new concept
Advertisement
Lean Into the Brand Culture
The collaboration with the designer should aim for an environment and experience that could only belong to that brand. As an example, the design of the first U.S. showroom for Aston Martin, Q New York, is a mix of a lounge, gallery and immersive multimedia experience, conceived to support personalized journeys of envisioning and configuring a customized Aston Martin vehicle. Each journey begins with a look at floor models illuminated by a sculptural chandelier composed of thousands of glass globes, reflected on the car surfaces like stars or city lights.
At the heart of Q New York is a one-of-a-kind elegant library setting for selecting automobile finishes, with rich walnut millwork and paneling to evoke traditional British architecture. A state-of-the-art real-time video connection puts customers face to face with the automaker’s UK headquarters. Every aspect connects the customer to the iconic brand, making this curated “spec session” experience unmistakably Aston Martin’s.
Make the Aesthetics Seamless
Details matter in the creation of a unique and elevated shopping experience, and no detail is too small. While a guest may not notice every individual aspect of the space, taken together these details form a lasting impression that hopefully distinguishes the new concepts from anything remotely like it. For the brands we work with, we typically strive to make sources of light and audio as invisible as possible, because the sight of those fixtures and pieces of equipment can detract from the focus on the brand and offerings.
For Aston Martin’s library space we specified pinpoint recessed LEDs overhead to make the walnut ceiling appear continuous and unbroken. Fashion brands appreciate when display armatures are less noticeable. Another good example: the two floors of a recently completed freestanding specialty center for luxury timepieces in suburban Philadelphia are connected by a floating steel staircase with bronze and light brass finishes and walnut treads. Guests at Precision Watches may notice that the stair evokes the movements of watches, but their experience is not negatively impacted by the appearance of an architectural monolith under the stair – in fact, below the stair is an elegant tranquility garden with contemporary seating.
Extrapolate to Multiple Locations Early In the Process
Deploying your carefully crafted concept in varied venues and formats across the country (or around the globe) comes with many challenges, so you must plan ahead to reduce or even eliminate the biggest ones. Start by securing the hard-to-find products, materials and finishes in large quantities. This will help re-create the concept in new locations with ease, at what is likely a significantly reduced cost overall.
Support the Sales Team
One aspect of the new retail concept not yet mentioned is the sales associate, who is arguably the most important part of the brand experience. With a detailed understanding of the intended shopping experience emerging from intense collaboration with the brand team, the designer should incorporate elements that support the sales associate in connecting with even the most fussy and demanding guests by anticipating their needs.
As an example, if beverage service is part of the experience, make sure it’s close enough to be produced immediately – long waits never leave a good impression. You’ll want your rollout to result in mass-customized designs, as personalized as possible, that elevate sales associates to the role of a trusted expert partner or even a friend. Requests for amenities and information should result in fast, user-friendly responses.
Generate Instagrammable Moments
In the era of social media, word-of-mouth marketing is more critical than ever. Design concepts must highlight brand experience and discovery in ways that inspire shoppers to pull out their phones to capture and share the moment. Sculptural installations like the bespoke chandelier and massive video wall elements for Aston Martin appear frequently on Instagram and other visual platforms, for example.
Depending on who you’re designing for, displays and graphics that showcase culture through artifacts and awards can connect shoppers to the brand’s history and lore in ways that generate more online sharing.
Importantly, if the brand’s marketing plan calls for repackaging the concept for a variety of store formats as part of a national or global rollout, the execution at each location has to capture the imagination of shoppers in the same way each time. For deployment across multiple locations, the concept must be both executable and reproducible. If the experience can’t be replicated with relative ease, the project team must either rethink the concept or reorient the rollout as a one-off location.
Founded in 2011, AZA stands among the most respected and sought-after architecture and design studios for the luxury retail sector. Taking on “everything luxury branded” in global markets, Founder and Principal Architect Alexander Zilberman, AIA, NCARB, has worked with fashion leaders Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo and Helmut Lang, and his firm has created a prominent Versace store on Madison Avenue in New York as well as the first major showroom for Aston Martin in North America, Q New York. Other brands relying on Zilberman’s firm include Aesop and Theory, and the firm has just completed a 9,000-square-foot flagship and headquarters near Philadelphia for luxury watch retailer Precision.
