DDi - October 2010 - (Page 56)

56 | Shopping with Paco DDI gets one-on-one with Paco Underhill about his latest book, “What Women Want” By Alison Embrey Medina, Executive Editor Q: Your text indicates that retailers across categories have introduced “deliberately female-friendly store design”—can you describe this “softening of the edges” that retail has embraced? A: It’s not a softness in retail design; it’s just simply a lack of hardness. Design has sensuousness and a touch that connects to a woman’s inherent emotional nature. A lovely example is Steen & Strøm, a Nordic developer of shopping malls. They created a hallway in the main corridor of a shopping center that was completely draped in fabric. Now, female-friendly stores and women’s apparel retailers are paying a premium to be located in that hallway. Q: Your book mentions a Hampton Inn in New York that rolled out the concept of “A Floor of Her Own,” devoted exclusively to female guests. Would a concept like this work in the retail world? A: Yes, Daslu (a multi-brand boutique department store in Brazil) offers a floor of the store where no men are allowed. This changes the relationship of the fitting room to the floor of the store and promotes the concept of a “female village,” where if you want to try something on, you don’t have to go hide in the back. That creates a nice sense of intimacy here, and the American shopping mall could certainly pay attention. Q: How is the female consumer responding to social media/marketing? Are retailers successful in attracting the female shopper, socially speaking? A: Women, especially middle-aged women, are trying to find a community. Many women are isolated on campuses, in workplaces and in our homes—we’re lonely. Facebook may be superficial, but it certainly does connect us. Retailers could make the online and in-store connection better for us. We should see a Macy’s store and Macys.com as the same brand. at CVS right next to those purchased at the department store. We also are seeing a breakdown in what is chemical versus what is herbal. For example, you might find a woman who only shops at Origins or Aveda because of their all-natural products, but who might also have breast implants. The process of selling beauty items has also gotten friendlier. For beauty retailers, education and shopping are intertwined. It’s not about what I can sell you, but how I can better inform you about your self-esteem and overall wellness. Q: How has the beauty industry adapted to today’s female shopper? A: There is an interesting cross-section in the world of beauty today. In a typical woman’s cosmetics bag, you are likely to find products bought Q: In your introduction, you write: “I’m still no expert on gender issues. I’m just a boy writing about girls.” What did you learn about your own gender, while researching the traits of another? A: I write books that I hope people like reading. This book, I’ve been told, is at times “funny funny,” but also at times “funny uncomfortable.” As men in today’s society, we have much more permission to embrace the female side of our characters. We are, as men, much more bound by society’s conforms than women. As a gender, we also need to take better care of ourselves—as a man in today’s society, it’s now okay for me to use sunscreen, practice yoga and soak in a bath if I choose. I’m not an emotional advocate, but perhaps an intellectual advocate, for the role of women in the marketplace. A little more goddess worship would do us well. www.ddionline.com |ÊOc toberÊ2010 http://www.Macys.com http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - October 2010

Display & Design Ideas - October 2010
Contents
From the Editor
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Quick Tips
Greentailing
Editor’s Choice
Design Snapshot
Design Snapshot
Jets/Giants Pro Shop
Coming to America
DDI 2010 State of the Retail Design Industry
Channel Focus: Menswear
CB2
Right Light
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Calendar
Advertisers
Ownership Statement
Classifieds
Shopping with Paco

DDi - October 2010