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COURTESY OF SHARON LOEFF W


hat is the one thing retailers would really love and can never get enough of? You guessed it ... sales!


In the world of specialty retail, still mostly dominated


by kiosks and RMUs in the common area, image, as the saying goes, is everything. Well, almost everything. Leading the way in the looks department are kiosk manufacturers whose continually evolving designs and innovative melding of technology, lighting and materials are creating magic in the common area and successfully drawing customers in for that all-important sale.


Common area challenges for kiosks While most shoppers walk into large stores open to the idea of buying, the common area is usually a different can of beans. “When you walk into a store, a shopper has the commitment to shop, when somebody is in the common area, they’re in essence, in their own personal bubble,” points out Sharon Loeff, President of Shopworks Inc., a retail consultancy company with a strong component in kiosk and RMU design. The psychology of the common-area shopper is never going to change, she points out, so it is the job of the well-designed (and well-merchandised) kiosk to speak to the customer from afar, to create intrigue. “It’s not the expectation of service, it’s an expectation of curiosity. The most successful kiosk operators are able to turn that curiosity into a sale.” Exactly how do they do this? By designing the best kiosk using the best materials and best design and technology


given the various constraints they work with. While mall developers routinely enforce sight lines as a matter of course for common-area installations, the physical environment itself can present challenges. Today’s kiosks and RMUs must be ready for the weather (after all, they’re frequently installed outdoors), must withstand wear and tear, must seamlessly integrate technology, must be easy to assemble and merchandise, and must use lighting effectively, among a long list of requirements. Another nice-to-have? Designs that complement the


shopping center’s existing aesthetic, says Karen Larson, Director of Specialty Leasing at Urban Retail Properties, a national retail property management company. “In the past you used to go to a mall and the kiosks were just a hodgepodge, they were a jumble of cases put together with


COURTESY OF SHARON LOEFF


SpecialtyRetail.com


Winter 2017 n Specialty Retail Report


61


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