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A standard desire in any industry is being the best there is, but many shy away from unconventional retail. Is it because the attitude of striving for the top can get in the way of re-inventing yourself. When you face little competition, when you dominate the field you’re in, you can become stagnant, and that’s when your customer base can lose interest
The marketplaces of old have come a long way. Where there was once outdoor tents and fierce negotiations, there is now brick and mortar retail. The industry has is much more polished, with rules and standard practices and designated physical spaces that shoppers can visit to get what they need. Even when the modern shopper doesn’t need something simply visiting a retail outlet can inspire them to spend. This is the goldilocks zone we must tap into. What makes folks hand over their hard-earned cash in YOUR retail environment over another? Whaam believes it is the space itself that stirs that desire.
Because of the lack of competition for traditional retail, means that unconventional retail environments are few and far between. Retailers have lost the will to try because nothing threatens their bottom line, but things are slowly changing. Factors such as the growth of online shopping, weaker economy, mall security, rising transport costs and the ever-busier schedules of the working consumer, all contribute to a disengaged consumer. The retail landscape needs to learn how to adapt and excite consumers in order to keep up with these changes.
As a brand you want more than to just provide a product to a consumer. You want to be lifestyle, you have a message at your core that you want to resonate with the public. You want engagement. You want to break the mould and introduce the industry to a whole new perspective. You want to be a trailblazer for unconventional retail.
The retail environments that encourage the most customer engagement are those that are themselves engaging. The sensory experience and the sense of community the world of traditional retail has to offer is most valuable when engaging with consumers. Through this need for human contact we have seen some dynamic and exciting adaptations that can reignite the consumers’ interest in traditional retail environment. All it takes is one retailer to do something different and creative and the rest will follow, resulting in a renewed interest in the retail experience which can also act as an accelerant for the economy.
The biggest part of the unconventional retail experience is of course the actual store interior itself. But we most not forget about the often overlooked are pop-ups and kiosks as well as visual merchandising and shop-in-shop displays. Every aspect of these different elements, when from the same brand, need to work together to complement each other, to create a cohesive message and impression on the consumer.
“Unconventional Retail” is the term the team at Whaam Concepts likes to apply to these creative applications that help to invigorate the retail experience. As a company we have chosen to focus on exploring existing applications, refining tired methods and imagining new possibilities. Whaam Concepts is a face-to-face brand engagement design firm that believes in the power of human relationships. We specialise in the Strategy, Design and Actualisation of unique face-2-face marketing campaigns and retail applications to enhance brand and consumer relationships.
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