VMSD - June 2017 - 17

ers (incorrectly) do, which is anchor a back wall with stacked digital
screens. I'm not sure where this trend started or why it's become a
regular technique of fashion brands, but it does not work. Whoever
thought of tying together massive flashing screens behind cashwraps
simply doesn't understand when and where stores should focus on the
customer. One must ask, do I want them engrossed at the end of the
journey or the beginning?
Ralph Lauren (New York) stores are arguably some of the most
compelling in modern retailing. So why - with all of those quality
garments and eye-catching millwork - put up screens 9 feet above
the floor? Styled stores should just say "no" to anyone suggesting
they slap a screen where it doesn't make sense.
I could've used my casino table winnings for a shopping spree
in Ted Baker (London), but I have to ask ... who thought jamming
screens into the side of confined window displays would be enticing?
(This is yet another question of why a screen would be installed in this
spot when there are great products to showcase instead.)
Gucci sits in what is most likely one of the prime spaces at The
Forum Shops. This brand is the definition of luxury, with an attention
to detail that has made it enormously successful. In digital reviews,
one must always hold up a benchmark to measure any elements that
might work against a brand's heritage. This was the case here, with an
ill-positioned screen right inside the front door. I had to question the
decision once I saw that the closed exterior doors cut the screen in half
at its most important viewing angles. And then there are the fashion
runway images looping on the screens. Again, one of the basics is that
repurposed content often does not work in store and does not engage

the customer as well as it should.
We'll end on an example in which some execution steps were well
thought out, while others went astray. The architects' placement of
screens within Ugg's (Goleta, Calif.) column structure was visually
strong from outside the store, and in good scale to the overall structure.
The millwork and detailing around the screens also matched the styling
and product messaging throughout. The nice thing about this location
was that the designers used digital screens sparingly and kept the space
well-balanced. So what's the miss? Again, the looping content. Content
strategy, or the lack thereof, is typically what tanks digital signage. And
at that scale, this merchant has lost the ability to use this space for an
interactive experience or capture viable behavioral data.
Anyone thinking this is a harsh critique should know that, above
all, I'm a champion of brick-and-mortar. I want it to succeed and
continue evolving with new designs and offers. But I am tired of seeing digital screens thrown into well-designed spaces and product
displays without any knowledge of how to execute or integrate them
into architecture. I can only hope these examples will make you take
pause and understand that the hardware is the simple part, mostly.
It's the strategy and intent that sets apart a great digital experience
from so many wasted dollars. And in today's retail climate, dollars
shouldn't go to waste. 

Brian is a partner at the digital agency REX (Beverly Hills,
Calif.) and CorbisGlobal (Manhattan Beach, Calif.). Follow
him on Twitter @briandyches.

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