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Retail The third space n n n Stafford also cites the Dunhill brand, expect a selection of products tailored to their linger, experimenting and sampling products at whose fagship store in London was revamped environment where shoppers are inclined to convinced the trip is worth their time. They in 2013 to include an on-site museum, as well their leisure,” she says. specifc tastes and preferences, much like as club-like areas where patrons can socialize the recommendations they might receive on and book their own events. Dwell time in-store But don’t forget the product an e-commerce site. They also appreciate a doubled to over an hour and sales were lifted by Innovative retail environments may attract a shopping experience that includes all things that 390% as a result. broader range of beauty shoppers and drive can’t be done online,” says Buchanan. Stafford There have been a few progressive examples sales, but retailers will still need to make sure agrees: “Winning strategies revolve around in beauty too. Selfridges, for example, has come consumers fnd what they need in the store. experiential, holistic or complementary services out with campaigns like gender-neutral concept “For consumers, it is no longer acceptable and community-building. It defnitely needs to Agenda, the No Noise experience and The to spend the time going from place to place involve exemplary, informed customer service. Beauty Project, a six-week initiative intended to to fnd what they are looking for or what It’s all about giving the customer compelling explore the defnition of beauty. As part of the will work best for them. They are doing their reasons to spend time in-store and once they are project, Selfridges sought to create an interactive research before entering the store and want there, keeping them engaged and entertained. retail experience with its Fragrance Lab. Created Naturally, you want to deliver something that in collaboration with The Future Laboratory and your customers will want to share on their social UK design studio Campaign, the Fragrance Lab “ networks, to extend reach across channels.” gave shoppers the opportunity to purchase a The future of retail will be Automation in stores will also make the scent that was customized to their personality. about collaborating not just focus on store experience more important, “The Fragrance Lab was an experiment to says Stafford. “The most appealing spaces will uncover the future of retail, offering a vision with your competitors, but creatively re-imagine the role of a shop and seek of how retailers can engage consumers in the with industries you may never to capitalize on what’s lacking online,” she says. age of online shopping. At the heart of The have considered relevant However, despite developments in technology, Fragrance Lab was the notion of customization, retailers must not lose sight of the need for fnding the ideal scent based on individual personal relationships with consumers, warns tastes, needs and the mood of the consumer,” NPD’s Grant. “As the world and consumers’ says The Future Laboratory’s Buchanan. Victoria Buchanan ” lives become more wired, it’s easy to get lost in The Fragrance Lab and other initiatives in The Future Laboratory visual trends researcher the technology and innovation,” she adds. The Beauty Project were a hit according to In the future, retailers will be up against more Selfridges director of beauty Jayne Dermuro. competition than from just traditional stores, “For 2014 our hero scheme was The Beauty points out Stafford. “Stores will need to reframe Project where we really wanted to challenge the store environment to provide the extra their competition in terms of leisure pursuits our brand partners and our customers. The personalization,” says NPD’s Grant. like museums, restaurants, cinemas or sporting Beauty Project was hugely successful across all Indeed, most consumers still choose to buy events.” Shop assistants will need to be more areas of the beauty business. The Salon and products over experiences because they believe expert, and their job will be about more than the talks that we put together with [beauty that products are in some sense ‘better value’, processing sales. More will be expected of them columnist for UK newspaper The Guardian] Sali which is probably why the experiential trend and their role will become crucial. This focus Hughes and [debating platform] Intelligence works well in luxury, points out Buchanan. on service and a more entertaining shopping Squared really helped to drive sales as people “[Consumers] who visit stores need to be experience can only be good for the industry. n are constantly looking for that authority with make-up,” she explains. Sephora has also been active in ensuring a Story-book retail dynamic store environment. “Sephora still leads One store that has been held up time and again as an example of innovative retail is Story, which the way with continued experimentation to frst opened its doors in New York in 2011. The store is designed to have ‘the point of view of a interact with consumers: from 3D augmented magazine, changes like a gallery and sells things like a store’. Every four to eight weeks, Story reality mirrors in Milan, fragrance engraving reinvents itself to highlight a new theme, trend or issue, and claims to offer a view of retail that stations in France, to make-up color matching goes beyond the transaction and provide a permanent space for experience and collaboration. and contouring stations in US stores,” says “Story in New York, is far more than a store,” says J Walter Thompson planning foresight director NPD Group global beauty industry analyst Marie Stafford. “It works with different store curators, designers and architects each time, so the Karen Grant. J Walter Thompson’s Stafford also store is continually refreshed. The store also consults and acts as a creative agency, providing a highlights the Haeckels apothecary-laboratory place for retail brands to experiment. Perhaps one sign of its success is that brand sponsorships fagship in Margate, UK which showcases the now start at around $300K. heritage of the British coast. “This creates an 74 November-December 2015 - N°24 - BW Confidential