IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 37

Once thought to be the death knell of brick-and-mortar,
ecommerce has been a surprising boon to some malls.
"Webrooming, checking out a product online before you
purchase in person, is actually becoming more common
than showrooming," says Jesse Tron, spokesman for the
International Council of Shopping Centers. At least 90 percent
of retail purchases are still made in person, Tron says.
PricewaterhouseCoopers reports that 40 percent of consumers
buy something at a brick and mortar at least once a week,
compared to 27 percent who buy online weekly.
Shopping malls can't afford to separate the physical and
the digital anymore, especially as Apple, Tesla and Microsoft
become the new anchors that keep them afloat. Enhancing
omnichannel retail-that is, courting sales both online and
off-is a design challenge interior designers will increasingly
face. Until recently, individual retailers have taken the lead,
delivering connected or augmented reality mirrors that show
how products look on the consumer without even having
them touch their skin.
In 2014, Westfield Labs replaced conventional kiosks in one of
its properties with giant touchscreens that let shoppers peruse
store inventory, select items and check out on their phones.
The experiment revealed something interesting: the screens
didn't drive mobile purchases, but made shoppers more likely
to buy while in the mall. Up against instant gratification,
ecommerce doesn't have a chance. Advantage: mall.
To incentivize on-the-spot purchases, more retailers are
utilizing Beacon technology, which sends consumers
special offers and discounts to smartphones via Bluetooth
when they're in close proximity to a store. Tron says this
technology is game-changing for retailers. Location-based
services might also help shoppers better navigate a mall's
terrain. Just as subscription-based beauty e-tailer Birchbox
uses heat-sensors and cameras to gauge consumer behavior
in its brick-and-mortar stores, malls may place sensors behind
digital advertising walls to gather information on customer
traffic flow.

ERCE
TECH
BROO
M
Tech wonders may get bodies in the door, but it takes a human
touch to make them stay. The real magic of placemaking is
setting a mood, says Westfield's Dumas, and that requires
input from interior designers long before plans are drawn.
"I see designers becoming a part of the process much earlier
than they were five years ago, and that makes a difference in
the tone of a mall," he says.
Dumas challenges designers to identify not only as creatives
but also as a part of the hospitality industry, acknowledging
luxury hotel brands' success at identifying the details that
matter to consumers. Translating that to malls may mean
designing elevators big enough to accommodate double
strollers. Creating a bathroom with a memorable mirror.
Providing benches that seat an entire extended family.
Or even just designing sweet spots for selfies. Dumas says
that before opening Bespoke, his design team went in search
of found objects and unique pieces of furniture for common
spaces. "The antique chairs they found make people want
to stop and take a picture on their phones." Today, there's no
greater design compliment than that.
PERSPECTIVE

37



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015

IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015
Contents
From IIDA
Behind the Issue
Contributors
Viewpoints
The Innovation Insurrection
Lens Flare
The Once and Future King of Commerce
Point/Counterpoint
All Around the World
Inspiration
Colophon
Design Buzz
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - Cover2
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 1
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - Contents
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 3
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 4
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - From IIDA
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - Behind the Issue
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 7
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - Contributors
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 9
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - Viewpoints
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 11
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - The Innovation Insurrection
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 13
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 14
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 15
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 16
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 17
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 18
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 19
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - Lens Flare
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 21
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 22
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 23
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 24
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 25
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 26
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 27
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 28
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 29
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - The Once and Future King of Commerce
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 31
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 32
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 33
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 34
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 35
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 36
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 37
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 38
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 39
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - Point/Counterpoint
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 41
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 42
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 43
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 44
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 45
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - All Around the World
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 47
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 48
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 49
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 50
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 51
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - Inspiration
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 53
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - 54
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - Colophon
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - Design Buzz
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - Cover3
IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2015 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2019spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2018spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2017fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2017springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2016fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2016springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2015fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2015springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2014fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2014springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2013fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2013springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2012fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2012springsummer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2011fallwinter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nielsen/perspective_2011springsummer
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com