Digital Journal — Millions of people around the world define themselves as shopaholics. For these people, shopping is a refuge, a gratifying escape from the outside world. For many other people, though, shopping is a nightmare. It involves long lines, parking lot rages, out-of stock merchandise and spending more money than necessary. What’s more, malls aren’t open 24-hours, leaving a gamut of unhappy spenders.
This may be the reason Internet shopping has taken off so much. It’s designed for the busiest of people; you can order food, clothing, books and even rent videos from your couch. And the best part is you don’t even have to get out of your pyjamas because everything is delivered to your doorstep.
This increase in online shopping has the retail world giddy from new revenue streams, but it’s come with one huge drawback: Shoppers are slowly decreasing in numbers in the bricks and mortar locations. Everything was peachy in the beginning because experts thought people would just spend more money — nobody actually thought people would stop shopping.
So what is a retail giant to do to get more people in stores? Well, based on the recent success of some stores around the world, it looks like the retail industry is poised to get more funky with a splash of interaction. Just like the Web, new retail stores are allowing shoppers to get what they want, how they want it, and totally inundate the senses while doing so.
Prime example: Apple Computer stores. Priding themselves on superb customer service, visit any Apple store and you’re bound to be approached by a knowledgeable Apple-smurf who will lead you on the right path to purchasing a collection of i-gear.
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Inside the Apple store on 5th Avenue in New York, a glass staircase leads shoppers to the Studio, the Genius Bar and the main retail area. |
If you’d like to test out your purchase before slapping down the plastic, the Mac team can also give you a one-on-one lesson on re-touching photos, making Hollywood-style movies or navigating through 1,000 songs on the iPod.
The most impressive of the Apple locations is on Fifth Avenue in New York City. From the outside, it looks like a cubed version of The Louvre in Paris — the outside an entirely glass structure shooting out of the sidewalk. Inside, a glass staircase leads shoppers to the Studio, the Genius Bar and the main retail area.
Its sleek, interesting design and simple arrangement of furniture ironically makes this tech-giant a fashion-forward shoppe. So visually stunning, the location could even make a shopaholic hyperventilate.
On the other side of the globe, Chanel is taking a different approach to luring in customers: Forget the clothing, the new Chanel store in Hong Kong combines fashion, art, technology and architecture in one outstanding structure.
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Made with more than 200,000 computer-controlled LEDs, the façade of the Chanel store in Hong Kong shows images of thousands of pedestrians continually moving. — Image courtesy of Wikipedia |
The aim is to make customers as comfortable as possible, because the more comfortable you are, the more inclined you are to spend, spend, spend. Try on clothing on one floor, or shop for jewellery on another.
What makes this fashion-house so amazing is the transformation by New York architect Peter Marino. The five-floored structure looks like the box of Chanel’s infamous No. 5 perfume by day, but by night the building becomes a gigantic glittering masterpiece.
Made with more than 200,000 computer-controlled LEDs, the display shows images of thousands of pedestrians continually moving. Shoppers can see the façade from anywhere in the city centre and from across the harbour.
And in London, England, a trendy store called Topshop finds an easy balance for shoppers. They offer late-night shopping, often staying open to the wee hours of the morning. While you shop, DJs are spinning, salespeople are distributing cans of Red Bull and seamstresses do all-night alternations.
Topshop says shoppers frequently don’t have time to shop due to long work-hours, so they cater to them by operating round-the-clock. In addition, Topshot’s emulation of a nightclub makes the store an entertaining and fun place to be.
The bottom line: Redesigns are working. The retail industry is finding an interactive shopping experience translates into more money spent, as funky design, flashing lights and unique marketing make people more likely people will open their wallets and swipe their Visas.
So for the anti-shoppers, there’s hope that shopping can now be a more enjoyable experience. At least it’s becoming that way. Whether you’re eager to shop all night, take customer workshops or purchase high-end merchandise under a rainbow of LED colour, the shopping experience has once again become solely about the consumer.
