DDi - April/May 2013 - (Page 55)

CULTIVATE H ow do you cultivate brand loyalty today? Customers are increasingly demanding transparency from the brands they love, and they want to be invited in to the process of making the goods that they sell. This concept of “journeytelling” really is being embraced by some retailers. New Balance opened an “experience” store in New York that tells the story of the history of the brand through graphics and images, and also allows shoppers to have a pair of shoes made right in the store—cultivating authenticity and brand loyalty. At Galería Loewe in Barcelona, Spain, the retailer staged a mock workshop in the store windows, with a live craftsman showing the process of a handbag being created by hand. Toby’s Estate is a coffee shop in Brooklyn whose entire store design revolves around educating customers on the process of creating coffee “from crop to cup.” The most notable feature is the Cupping Room & Espresso Lab, where customers can peer in to watch exactly how a perfect cup of espresso should be poured. And this one might take the cake. Popular clothing Photo: Courtesy of Toby’s Estate | 55 Toby’s Estate, Brooklyn, N.Y. brand Ecko Unltd. has an ofﬁcial policy that anyone who gets a tattoo of one of their logos gets 20 percent off merchandise—for life. You can even go to the website to peruse the “tattoo gallery” and see that this is not just a marketing gimmick; people are actually doing it. Now that is the power of brand cultivation. etailers are certainly experimenting with condensing their typical retail footprint to increase ﬂexibility and reach customers in markets they could not before. The retailer beneﬁts from lower overhead and an ease of entry into saturated markets, and the customer wins with a localized store with edited product mix designed for “me,” versus the supercenter designed for “all.” Target has opened six CityTarget locations in previously hard-to-navigate urban areas, like Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, with additional sites coming in San Francisco and Portland later this year. And Walmart plans to add 115 new outlets that have less than 60,000 sq. ft. this year, along with 125 Supercenters. Those 115 smaller outlets, however, have more ﬂexibility in terms of when and where they can open, and will better cater to a local community mix through product and service offerings. Brand spinoffs are another way retailers are condensing their product mix to serve a more focused, niche clientele. Starbucks is unveiling its new tea-only Tazo Tea store (see page 32 of this issue), Gap is rolling out its Athleta yoga-inspired athletic brand like wildﬁre and J.Crew is attempting to burgeon the success of its popular Ludlow suit by opening a standalone suit shop with custom ﬁttings in Manhattan. We’re also seeing myriad creative pop-up shops bringing a retailer’s brand message to market with smaller, portable retail spaces that have a big impact. And let’s not forget one of the smallest and most mobile forms of retail going right to where the shoppers are—retail trucks. Much like food trucks have taken the gourmet street vendor business to new heights, these literal stores on wheels can get in and get out, follow the crowds, and open and close as they please. They just can’t park for too long anywhere, or they get busted by the authorities. Photo: Mark Steele Photography, Columbus, Ohio CONDENSE R CityTarget, Seattle www.ddionline.com http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - April/May 2013

DDi - April/May 2013
Table of Contents
From the Editor
From the Show Director
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Visual Perspectives
Editor’s Choice
Design Snapshot
Design Snapshot
Markopoulos Award
Tazo Tea
Tiffany & Co.
Experience Makers
Piperlime
Mattel Experience
CookHouse
Aéropostale
Paris Kids Department
Technology & Customer Engagement Section
Technology Trends
Big Data Column
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Design Leaders 2013
Right Light
GlobalShop Coverage
Special Events
Conference Schedule
Chicago Retail
Exhibitor Products
Calendar
Advertisers
Classifieds
Shopping with Paco

DDi - April/May 2013