Tag: Store Design
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…