Experiential Retail and Retail Design

Online shopping is an indispensable part of life in this digital age where we can now shop from Instagram and many other social media platforms. The growth of e-commerce sector is remarkable even though the physical stores are still significant in Turkey. As the competition in the market gradually increases, the retail world formulates different solutions to compete with e-commerce sites that offer a convenient online shopping experience. The importance of customer experience is increasing in retail store design. This concept, called experiential retail aims to provide a better experience compared to the online shopping platforms.

What is Retail Design?

For many people out there, retail design can be only about organizing shelves, materials or showcases in a store. However, retail design is not limited to aesthetic elements and in-store visuals. A business that applies this design enhances aesthetic aspects of the store, increases its sales and makes the most of the physical space. Retail design is a strategy rather than an aesthetic choice. The aim is to attract customers’ attention and strengthen their brand identity.

A remarkable showcase comes first in retail store design. It is important to design the store according to structure of your business and target customers. The store should appeal to all different senses. All these design elements such as colors, shapes and etc. create a complete experience and affect the perception of the customer.

Experiential Design in Retail Stores

Since many products are now available on digital platforms, retail design has gained a deeper and innovative understanding. Therefore, retail design industry emphasizes the “experience” element, especially in order to compete with the convenience of online shopping. Physical stores now aim to develop an atmosphere that suits and appeals all customers.

Customers should feel at home when they enter the store. The more comfortable the customer feels, the more time he spends in the store. Thus, the value of the brand increases and customers buy more products.

So what is the ideal retail design? There is no ready-made template answer to this question because the right answer requires a deep understanding of the target customer. We can’t deny the impact of social media on our daily activities, including shopping. It can be an inspiration for brands to turn their stores into an “instagrammable” environment. These designs will especially attract the attention of today’s youth, called Generation Y and Generation Z. Interesting photos inside a store will definitely increase the brand awareness among the target customer. But if your customer base doesn’t have this habit, this will not be the right approach. Every brand must have a unique message and tone specially designed for the customers.

In addition to in-store design, pop-up-stores are also becoming more and more important. A good pop-up store attracts potential customers and offers an interesting experience to loyal customers. Thus, your brand establishes new interaction points with your target audience at low costs. Plus, it adds a dynamic element to your brand image which will become a part of the brand communication and perception.

What is Trending in the Retail Design Industry?

The retail world has changed over the years. In the past, retailers would try to show as many products as possible. However, a customer-oriented approach has become important in retail design. The main goal is to create a sophisticated shopping experience. The 2020 retail design industry trends are all about storytelling and customer experience.

Many retail stores are now trying to increase the time spent in-store. Now there are many factors for customer to purchase a product. In-store events and various services increase customer interaction and time spent in-store.

Technology is important in the digital world. Therefore, it would not be wrong to state that technology has a large share in the retail design industry. Especially new generations prioritize product experience. Stores that can combine technology and sales strategies are becoming successful. In our country, Turkcell is one of the pioneers in this field. With its digital signature technology, the brand provides a faster, healthier and eco-friendly service to its customers. Turkcell employees use tablets and take the customer experience to the next level. Many customers in other countries can quickly complete purchases via a tablet, without having to go to the cash register.

What is Experiential Retail?

As we mentioned above, experiential retail is the strategy that gives importance to the customer experience and the time spent inside the store. Good experiential retail design:

• Attracts the attention of the customer and offers a meaningful and shareable experience.
• Is not sales-oriented, it prioritizes the customer experience.
• Appeals to all senses, not just visuals.
• Not only meets the customer expectations, it tries to push these expectations forward.
• Gives importance to in-store activities and services.
• Combines technology and service.
• Meets consumer expectations.