Canadian Retailer - Store 2013 - 43

STORE DESIGN MID-SIZE RETAILER

COMMUNICATING WITH CUSTOMERS, BY DESIGN

Communications retailer rolls
out redesign that connects
with customers
FOR established retailers, keeping ahead of the

busy market is hard enough. But try keeping head
above water with the launch of a new concept
store. That’s tough enough for seasoned retailers.
Now try to make a new retail concept float when
your speciality is communications, not retail.
When Shaw Communications decided it
needed to reach customers through a retail
venue, it knew it faced a monumental task—a
task the company had tried to accomplish before, and failed.
“Part of the humour of the project is that we’ve
tried retail a few times, but we never seemed
to get it right,” explains Julie Shaw, a vicepresident at Shaw Communications. “When we
were challenged to succeed in retail, the internal Shaw facilities team said, We have got to get
this right, we have got to impress our customers, nail expectations, and push hard on what
customers expect.”
Nailing it meant hitting several notes just
right. The company, which had previously only
been accessible to customers through the Web
and telephone, needed a store design that appeals to a broad range of customers, informs
customers about the large selection of Shaw
Communications offerings and, most importantly, drives sales of products and services.
“Part of the job was to learn how to retail,”
says Shaw. “It was a major challenge and we’re
thrilled to have met the challenge.”
Bright, comfortable spaces

The implementation of Shaw Communication’s award-winning foray into retail took nine
months from start to finish. As soon as the
realtors began looking for properties, Shaw’s
team started into design and creative using
mock-ups and test models of the space.
The final design exudes high tech coolness.
Lots of screens show off Shaw’s television,
cable, wi-fi and equipment offerings. Bright
lighting, wide spaces, rounded corners and

slick countertops give the store a clean, futuristic feel. The
centrepiece of the store is the “waterfall,” a group of televisions
hanging from the ceiling like a media-playing chandelier. Inside this space, customer service agents greet customers and
answer questions about Shaw’s offerings.
“We wanted to bring those elements together in a soft kind of
way—soft in a way that allows the customers, whatever technology level they’re at, to feel comfortable.”

Shaw Communications: reaching customers through a retail environment.

Connecting to customers

By the most important measures, Shaw Communications
nailed their retail concept. One customer’s tweet captures the enthusiasm the company has seen in communities where they have
rolled out the stores: “I love how we can now talk in person with
the amazing Shaw staff. The sunridge store is #Shaw-some!”
Other indicators, like traffic counts, sales, wi-fi sign ups,
upgrades, and customer interactions, show the success of the
store design. Shaw Communications tracks questions on products closely, and the retail locations provide the company with
another way to gather questions about products and find new
ways to address customer concerns.
The retail roll out will continue. Shaw says the next step will
be to put kiosks into malls where there isn’t space for a full-size
store. As always, Shaw says, the company will look for ways to
build on what works.
“We’re doing reviews of what is good and what is not working.
We’re tweaking to speak to customers even better,” she says.

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