SPECIAL FEATURE | kbbreview Retail Safari with Hettich
RETAIL SAFARI 2024
in association with I
ndependent KBB retailers live and breathe their business. They know it inside out and, by necessity, spend their working lives switching from design and admin to finance, logistics and customer service. Taking time out to look around and evaluate even what local competitors are doing is really hard, let alone being able to track what’s happening in the wider world of retail in general.
What are the trends in windows, displays, technology, layout, lighting, engagement and experience? What creative ideas can be applied or adapted to KBB showrooms and how are consumers changing the way they shop? In May, we held kbbreview’s first ever Retail Safari - a walking tour of Central London with a group of KBB independent retailers, visiting stores that are great examples of forward-thinking retail environments. With expert and consultant Ian Scott as our guide and Hettich as our partner, we saw creative concepts, eye-catching displays, curated content, engaging activities and evangelical staff. Cathy Spark, Nike’s vice president of global stores, said recently that “retail is not dead, boring retail is dead,” and the safari showed just what is possible if you’re prepared to take a step back and look…
THE TAKEAWAYS
BREAK THE FOURTH WALL Allow customers to engage directly in relevant activities, give them permission to touch and have fun.
PERSONALISATION Let them peak behind the curtain and see how things are made or personalised. Make theatre of the process.
COMMUNITY Allow space for people to use as they see fit - coffee shops, meeting rooms, galleries. Foster community and relationships that may pay off down the line.
STAFF Staff are your biggest asset, allow their enthusiasm and personality to come through and give them ways to engage with your customers.
STORIES How are you telling the story of your business? What do customers learn about you and your personality as they engage with you? One display after another doesn’t necessarily do that.
LUSH STUDIO, BEAK STREET
This is actually the retailer’s office but it incorporates bookable space for others to use, creating a welcoming, collaborative and inclusive environment which clearly matches brand ideology and values.
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THE FRAGRANCE SHOP, OXFORD ST
This perfume store houses an amazing ‘make your own fragrance’ service. Using the digital screen you answer a series of lifestyle questions and, based on the answers, it mixes three for you. Great example of engagement.
GLOSSIER, COVENT GARDEN
A cosmetics retailer where you try before you buy. A creative space that curates choice and a strong identity creates a sense of theatre. Customers place their order with staff and it appears on a pink conveyor belt…
GYMSHARK, REGENT STREET
Hugely successful online brand that now has a flagship showroom. Knows its audience and hosts in-store exercise and wellness classes. Screens show influencers wearing the gear in different colours.
LIBERTY, REGENT STREET
Legendary store where we saw a ‘fragrance concierge’. A perfume concession that grouped the products by scent - floral, fruity, woody, and fresh. A personal curated service that was preference- lead rather than brand.
• June 2024
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