Visual Merchandising and Retail Design – July 2019

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Keith Ware, Director of Brand Environments, Dalziel & Pow, shares some insights on how converting a store space into

a community hub can serve many purposes, both for the brand and the community at large.

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T

o thrive in today’s retail landscape,
brands are transforming their brick-
and-mortar stores. They’ve gone from
purely being places of transaction to spaces
for brand storytelling, learning and enjoying.
Consumer behaviour is also changing – we
now live in the ‘experience economy’ where
people prefer to do more, not buy more.
As a result, brands are finding ways to up
the experience, making stores interactive,
engaging, and bringing in more things to do
and better ways to connect through things
like cafes and workshops. Brands aiming for
even greater engagement are also using
their stores as community spaces for loyal
customers.

Community building with experiential
engagement

Certain brands accumulate dedicated
followers. It can happen organically or
strategically - usually it’s through a mixture

Make your store a community hub

of both. These communities often exist

online where customers worldwide chat

to each other. Brands can listen in, speak

to fans and even bring them on board on

certain occasions. Digital native beauty

brand Glossier has long been focused on

community. Launching off the back of

online beauty platform Into the Gloss, the

website already had a large amount of

followers as potential customers. Now, its

most dedicated fans are in a Slack channel

where they discuss the brand and give

Glossier insight into the types of products

they’d like to see next.

Building communities online is a great way

to create a network of fans that keep each

other engaged. However, brands should

also consider building and catering to

communities in person where they can offer

different experiences. Meet-ups, discussions

and workshops are all ways to connect

customers to the brand and to each other

and retail spaces can be the perfect place to

facilitate them.

For activewear brand Lululemon’s flagship

store on Regent Street, we designed the

space so it would also function as a hub

for the community. The first floor houses a

curated community space, with a wellness

kitchen full of healthy food and drinks

to hang out in and a flexi-space for yoga

practise and other classes. Here, fans of

the brand can meet each other and work

out together – which also serves as great

motivation to keep up a fitness routine.

Premium cycling apparel brand Rapha has

a membership program where those signed

up can take part in regular rides or training.

Its retail stores are known as clubhouses and

members and non-members alike can get

together in the café, watch cycling events,

view exhibitions or attend workshops. The

clubhouses also host member-only events

July 2019