Mass customization remains one of the prominent buzz words in the retail industry. For retailers, responding to customers’ wants with customized products at reasonable prices, has become paramount in engaging customers and building a loyal following. What local on-line and now bricks-and-mortar retailer, YNOT Cycle delivers, is more than mass customization. They deliver customized hand-crafted products, made locally – and with a bricks-and-mortar store that speaks to the very essence of that offering. The era of mass customization Across retail sectors, from M & M’s personalized candies to the Nike ID program, mass customization is just one more tool in a[…]
New Anthropologie store: From neglected church to lifestyle temple
Just before Christmas, a new Anthropologie store opened – another outpost in Toronto, for the popular American retailer of clothing and housewares. The location: a 19th century church in the heart of Queen St. West that has been respectfully renovated and converted into a cathedral of fashion – or perhaps more accurately a lifestyle temple. Go west Queen St. West The location in itself, is one on the leading edge of the gradual westward creep of national and international retail chains, along Queen St. West. Over the past two decades, gentrification has been changing the face of retail along[…]
Best products at IIDEX for retail applications
Typically exhibitors at the IIDEX Canada industry trade show, which took place last week, are geared towards commercial sectors other than retail; but that doesn’t mean that the show is short of interesting new products suited to retail applications. Here are 3 of the best from this year’s show: 1. Luminous Textile with Kvadrat Soft Cells [Philips] This intriguing product, awarded Bronze Innovation Award in the category of Innovative Lighting, is a Luminous Textile fabric panel lit with integrated LEDs. It’s a completely customizable modular product available in a variety of colours and ready for whatever content you wish[…]
Muji TO disappoints: the no-brand brand strays
Having become a fan of Muji from my travels abroad, I always looked forward to visiting their stores and perusing their fascinating line of understated and functional product. So, it was with great anticipation that I awaited the opening of the Toronto store last week – however, I was left unimpressed and disappointed. Muji: The brand Muji is all about simplicity. They are the ultimate anti-brand, forgoing splashy labels, packaging and advertising – yet by doing so they have become one of the most successful brands in the world. Muji which means “no brand quality goods” has built an[…]
Differentiate or Die: Lole takes on Lululemon
In the retail world, the words “Differentiate or Die”, devised by Jack Trout over 13 years ago in his book of the same title, still ring as true today if not more so. With increasing international competition and customers overwhelmed with choices and bound by time constraints, now more than ever, retailers need to take these words to task. That’s particularly true in the active lifestyle sector where the ubiquitous Luluelemon owns the lion’s share of the market. Another Canadian success story, Lole, is going up against them not by being a “me too” retailer but by carving out their[…]
Store Design: Successful retail isn’t all about design
Design isn’t everything! Strange words coming from a designer? Let’s be real though – there’s more to retail than store design. As a designer, part of me dissects and critiques the design of every store I enter. I believe that a well-designed, branded experience is the key to successful retail – but there are other factors at play. I recently visited Floorplay Socks, a wonderful little store that opened on Queen St. West, Toronto last summer. Although it has a charming storefront and a quaint functional interior, there’s really nothing to it design-wise. It won’t be winning any design awards[…]
Customer Experience: The web, evolution & where we are now
As the 25th anniversary of the web passed last week, I considered how the retail world had morphed since 1989. Aside from the obvious birth of e-commerce and the eventual dawn of omnichannel retailing, what fundamental change did the web incite in retail? With the ability to source information (& products) from virtually anywhere in the world, the consumer became more knowledgeable, sophisticated and in-touch. Their expectations were raised to a new level and retailers needed to respond. For retailers, what emerged was an era focused on customer experience. In their book, The Experience Economy – Work is Theatre & Every[…]
Customer Experience that hits the mark!
For months I had walked past the construction site of the Nespresso Boutique Bar in in the Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto. Having admired the minimal designs of their coffee machines I was curious. Yet, I was skeptical. The size and location of the space seemed over the top – even for an “experience” store. Really, it’s just coffee isn’t it? But, I was won over. I entered the space in a customer mind-set, to fully immerse myself in the experience – from the double volume café in the front where I was greeted by the hostess, to the retail space[…]
Can a storefront make or break the brand experience?
There was a time when a retailer’s storefront created the important first impression. Essential in attracting attention, it allowed the experience to begin outside, setting up the customer’s expectations of what was yet to come. With e-commerce and social media channels becoming powerful initial brand touch points, the storefront’s role has evolved. It may not be the first impression, but it remains an important expression of a brand. Abercrombie & Fitch use their storefronts to full effect, bending traditional rules of retail, concealing sightlines in to their space. The target demographic is not dissuaded by the uninviting statement while others[…]
Retail is alive and well
Retail is a living breathing thing that is constantly reinventing itself, morphing to meet the needs of an increasingly savvy consumer; a consumer that has now become a collaborator rather than a mere customer. From Harry Selfridge in the early days of the 20th century who transformed shopping from a menial chore into an engaging social activity, open to all classes, to Steve Jobs who has redefined the customer experience, creating a tribe of Apple brand advocates, retail is in a constant state of change. At its heart, successful retail, through all of the changes, has always been about emotionally[…]