Localised Retail Design
Curating Communities
As a creative agency, we often get asked by brands to help create localised retail design concepts and customer experiences, to create more of a community-led design approach.
It’s much more than simply writing ‘Hi {insert city name here}’ at the store’s entrance (although, that is a nice touch).
Our approach is about unearthing and leveraging real life digital insights and data, to inform localised store concepts and customer experiences.
It’s about understanding what matters most to your customers on a local level, in order to craft retail spaces and experiences that will elevate their enjoyment and desire to interact with you.
This short video to explains our process…
A Case Study
We used this approach to support European fashion brand, Vero Moda, during their retail strategy and re-design process.
Using our data network, we built a unique customer audience of Female Fashion Enthusiasts. Online browsing behaviour of 240,000 users were tracked to compile an understanding of this audience and their interests…
With a good overview of the three core country audiences as a whole, we then dived a little deeper into country-specific insights…
Local Identity Principles
Using the value insight and data, we began to curate a set of local identity design principles to inform the design strategy behind Vero Moda’s store concept and localised iterations…
1. We tune into our local market nuances through unique data capture, using analysis of our core markets online search behaviour we can personalise unique in-store activations, props and communications to totally align with what our customers are tuning into! e.g. our Belgium customers may be into reading and needlecraft… so we incorporate a book club/book swap & an evening craft workshop.
2. We support local creatives, makers and unique brands becoming a mini showcase for their talents and sell their product in-store.
3. The store becomes a showcase for our local community initiatives – a place to educate, learn more and sign-up.
4. Materials and finishes can reference and reflect our locations.
Localised Design Concepts
Having established our localised design principles, we set about designing an overarching Vero Moda retail concept, with localised nuances to demonstrate how the brand could begin to create a sense of community in key markets…
Overarching Global Design Concept
Belgium Localised Activation
Taking the insight and data from our Belgian customers’ behaviour, we designed a reading corner activation in-store to align with this community’s preferences…
Germany Localised Activation
With social networking and needlework/craft high on the agenda of customers, we designed updatable in-store concepts and activations where consumers could ‘meet the makers’ of their favourite ranges as well as local artisan craft makers, and of course – use this time to capture selfies & content to share across their socials.
The Netherlands Localised Activation
Our Netherlands customers showed a keen interest in interior decorating as well as ‘green solutions’. This insight informed the addition of a ‘re-wear’ station – intended as a place to swap and share your favourite pieces. We also opted for recycled and sustainable materials and finishes within this activation.
Local Pop-ups.
Why stop there? For wider brand opportunities to connect with new, emerging communities, we suggested creating a flexible pop-up retail concept.
Designed using the space’s existing materials and finishes, we can create quick turnaround informal retail spaces that offer a taste of the overarching Vero Moda experience within a capsule environment.
Designed using recycled and reclaimed items such as clothing fabric as wall backdrops and re-purposed local bottle crates for tables and vm opportunities, the intention was to bring the Vero Moda experience to emerging communities whilst the brand settled on finding a more permanent retail location nearby.
More from Mynt.
For more examples of our localised retail design concepts and physical customer experiences for leading global brands, click here.