INTERACTION

By letting the consumer interact with the products on show and  the displays  they are creating a personal engagement with the product. it allows them to feel and test the product and make a purchase decision based on the actual product. once the consumer has done this there is no going back.

 

Brands that are doing this currently and have been for years is apple inc. they have products laid out in-store, consumers can test the products, see the interface the computers use, feel the weight of the products and ultimately make a purchase through an informed decision.

 

 

 

VISUAL MERCHANDISING (VM)

Visual  Merchandising is a very important factor in retail design. It is what makes all the change between being a passer by and a consumer. Once a retailer has caught the passer’s by attention, they are more likely to enter the store making them a passive consumer, if in-store the atmospherics are right and the overall experience is positive the passer by will make a purchase, making them an active consumer.

               

In the world or retail design over the past 5 years VM (visual merchandising) has grown from being banner in a window displaying products, to products and product placement, to mannequins and even augmented reality.

 

Retailer’s are all competitors, the market is very broad now and especially if consumers have already got brands that they make reoccurring purchases the visual merchandising has got to make an even bigger impact to make consumers want to enter stores.

 

Some retailer’s which are very busy choose to have full height glazing with no display, this is so that passers by can see the volume of people within the store, making them curious and in-turn want to enter. A prime example being apple store’s.

 

Some retailer’s have very beautiful visual merchandising creating a story, theme or setting for the products display.

 

 

 

TECHNOLOGY

Technology is all around us. We (generation ‘Y’) were brought into the growing technology market, and have seen it boom from strength to strength. It is only when we were in the year 2000 that technology really started picking up and already is moving at a pace that we cant keep up with.

 

Generation ‘Z’ on the other hand was born into technology and have grown with it. Constantly looking for the next big thing in the market to buy and keep up to date. With a lot of searching online and research on the newest products and trend’s to keep up with.

 

Technology doesn’t just stop in our houses now, it comes with us through the use of smart phones allowing e-commerce and s-commerce and this is a growing trend with a 40% calcuated Google searches being done through Smartphones alone.

 

Technology has also got its advantages on a retail platform, allowing for better and more engaging consumer experiences. One where the customer can help themselves without needing a sales representative to give them all the information on the desired products.

 

With technology being used in a myriad of ways in retail, from virtual fitting rooms, P.O.S labeling, ticketing and even while a person shops to their Smartphone through a ‘QR Code’ what are the limits and where does it get too overcomplicated for generations ‘X’, the baby bloomers and maturist.

 

 

 

PERSONALISATION

Reaching out to consumers on a personal level, whether it is with a chalk board and some chalk for them to write down how their service was or through memorising their favourite wine on a database so when they return next time they don't have to wait to order, gives the consumer a sense of being and make’s them the priority during the retail experience. Knowing that a retailer wants to hear from you and know your thoughts is very engaging and creates a personal bond.

 

Having a service that is personalized to each consumer is something that is the way forward in wanting them to come back, whether that is through their Smartphone, their details being stored on a database with past purchases so the retailer knows what they have and what is missing to offer that personal service.

 

 

 

ASSOCIATION

When targeting generation 'Z’ in particular, in psychology it is taught by Freud that if a person creates an association with something they will remember this for the rest of their life as associations can not be unlearnt, only tweaked. so if in retail design a young adult, or toddler makes an association with the brand or retailer trough interaction they will forever remember this, leading to a future or returning to the retailer them self.

 

Of course associations can be make as an adult as well through interaction or experience, which is why it is inevitable that a retailer should be looking to form these bonds.

 

 

 

WAY FINDING AND DIRECTION

it is important to be able to find your way around a store in a straight forward and fluid manner. whether their are curs as to where the consumer should be going or which way they are to be heading, the end product should be the destination that the wanted to reach in the first place.

 

many shopping centres are using electronic means of direction, through having a pod or kiosk which is electronically powered, has the floor plan of the centre and shows directions that the consumers can follow by typing in their destination.

 

In-store this direction is given through the application of vinyl to flooring which the consumer can follow, or signage to let consumers in department stores know which floor the department they are looking for is on.