Why Retailers Should Program Stores Like Galleries
The following is an excerpt from PSFK's latest report, the Future of Retail 2018.
Rotating brick-and-mortar displays and experiences give customers continued opportunities for discovery, in a trend from PSFK's Future of Retail report
Revolving Discovery: In order to keep stores and spaces feeling fresh and exciting and introduce shoppers to the new and the next, retailers and mall operators are programming locations with a rotating selection of brands, products and experiences.
51% of U.S. consumers are loyal to brands that keep them on the cutting edge by consistently offering the latest products and services.
Seeing Beyond The Loyalty Illusion. Accenture, 2017
“If this store was four floors of product, people would come the first time and then not come again. The challenge is that when you come here three months from now, it needs to be constantly changing.”
Mark King. President, Adidas Group North America
“People are very skittish about retail real estate locations. We’re in vastly changing times, where technology and behaviors are changing rapidly and long-term commitments to leases don’t make any sense. The idea of a pop-up isn’t just a phenomenon—it’s fully part of the way retail needs to change.”
Ken Morris, Principal, Boston Retail Partners
“Ultimately, most of our brand choices are based on how we feel… The most important brand purpose is the ability to connect with consumers and share something they’re genuinely interested in, right now and continuously. It’s keeping your brand top-of-mind even when the mind is in a constant state of flux.”
Ben Quesnel. Consumer & Brand Marketing, Facebook
Timberland Tree Lab: Store Format, Themes, Products And Experiences Change Monthly
Footwear brand Timberland’s Tree Lab is a retail location in Pennsylvania’s King of Prussia Mall that presents shoe collections as rotating galleries. Customers can come to Tree Lab to enjoy a new rotating product gallery every six weeks, each curated according to a central theme, such as streetwear or feminism. The U.S. retailer’s rotating galleries also help build excitement about the next coming attraction.
Matches Fashion: Lack Of Store Infrastructure Enables Complete Overhaul Every Season
High fashion retailer Matches Fashion is introducing a six-story, 5,000-square-foot space in London that aims to step away from the idea of retail stores lining the shelves with clothing, and instead using modular displays and racks to create an evolving space that will represent a theme of the time. The U.K. department store’s new shop offers two floors for flexible retail space and three floors as private shopping suites for clients. The space is also offering events throughout the year, including installations and trunk shows.
Bulletin: Online-Only Brands Rent Space In A Curated Storefront
New York City-based startup Bulletin offers a subscription-based platform that allows digital brands to lease space within the physical retail storefront. Digital brands apply to Bulletin to merchandise their product in the physical store location, and if approved, ship their goods to the location to be sold within five days. Brands pay a monthly fee to sell their products through Bulletin and receive access to a dashboard that provides them with insights about their product sales.
Retailers
- Ensure displays and fixtures are easily moveable for constant rotation
- Curate a rotation of new and niche products around a consumer’s lifestyle
- Offer programming that introduces shoppers to different activities and skills related to the product mix
Brands
- Explore partnerships with products and services that fulfill a customer’s aspirations or aesthetic
- Create limited-edition collaborations that tap into multiple lifestyle facets at once
- Replace long-term marketing campaigns with micro-activations that change the context of engagement throughout the year