Page 64 - Lighting Magazine October 2018

the ExpEriENcE EcoNomy
“Dynamic retail is sort of a exible eco- system that brings together brand, data, and space to engender loyalty.”
tHe InDex resuLts
Retailers and space planners have discovered that designing spaces has become more complex. “Prod- ucts were selling themselves in the 1980s and ’90s,” she commented. Now, customers are expecting more of an entertainment experience when they visit a store. “I’m always asked by clients about ROI,” Jordan stated. “For example, Selfridges of London tells us that when they do an event, the store is crowded; and to them, a crowded store is good for business.” Gensler’s Experience Index was a way to “create a framework” for evaluating shopping habits.
“We know that 49 percent of people’s mindsets when they are shopping is in task mode,” Jordan recounted. “So how can we capture these other modes, especially when everyone is empowered by their handheld devices? How do you move people away from that laser focus? Well, let’s look at the 51 percent of shoppers who are not in task mode.”
For starters, apparently no one is truly shopping “alone” anymore. “They’re all on a device, and there could be 12 to 15 people involved on their shopping trip,” Jordan commented. They’re sharing what they see in the stores and seeking opinions. “We’ve seen girls laying out clothes in the ing rooms and taking photos to post,” she said. Sharing one’s “haul” – as in, “I got all this for X amount of dollars” – is a popular theme on Instagram. “The currency lies in the num- ber of ‘Likes’ that these kids get,” Jordan stated.
For demographics of all ages, the sense of Dis- covery is important in retailing today. “Entice people through the store through visual merchandising,” Jordan advised. “When it is invested in properly,
visual merchandising raises foot tra c.”
Holding an in-store activity is another successful
method for increasing the body count. “Add events that bring value to customers and make them feel it was worth the trip to come in. You want them to leave your store feeling good,” she said.
Continuing the message that “retail spaces are for more than just selling,” Jordan suggested ways to a ract more people to your location. Upgrading the restaurant choices nearby is one option for strip mall and large shopping center owners. “Dining out has become more important in Europe, and it’s starting to bring in tra c here in the U.S.,” she noted. “The food and beverage component in the average mall used to be 15 to 20 percent, but this concept of ‘el- evated dining’ – having restaurants featuring unique cuisine or aligned with a celebrity chef – is increasing those numbers.”
Referencing local sporting events and teams is “another way to piggyback onto the synergy of the area your store is in,” Jordan said, adding, “Become embedded in the community. Even department stores need to become embedded in the neighbor- hoods they serve. I’m not saying that retail agships in New York City will be doing this, but how about in second- and third-tier cities? Retailers have a unique opportunity to bring di erent types of events into their communities.”
The last trend Jordan has observed gaining trac- tion is what she called, “Dynamic Retail.” She pointed to the emergence of Starbuck’s Reserve® Roastery & Tasting Room – which has opened in locations as diverse as Sea le, Shanghai, and Milan – as an exam- ple. According to the Starbucks Reserve Web site, “It is a place where you can experience co ee from the unroasted bean to your cup of co ee. You can watch it being roasted. You’ll see the burlap sacks it comes in. You can watch it being loaded into the green co ee loading pit. You can buy it scooped at the co ee scoop bar. You can experience your co ee as a pour over, siphon-brewed, clover-brewed, with a shot of espresso, and more.”
“They’ve super-sized the co ee experience and made it like the Willy Wonka of co ee,” she remarked. “Dynamic retail is sort of a exible eco- system that brings together brand, data, and space to engender loyalty.”
Those retailers who adapt to these new ways of selling experience are the ones who have the great- est chance of success against online competition and shrinking margins. 
60 enLIGHTenment Magazine | october 2018
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