Customer experience & shop design
The ‘shop’ is evolving into a ‘Retail Hub.’ Its role is no longer just about selling physical product,
but about delivering services, experiences and fulfilment across channels.
Our clients’ current priorities
“Retail hubs must become places in our hearts and minds. Centres of our local communities and beacons to the wider world”
Evolving shops from ‘shopper paradise’ to the ‘local community hub.’
The retail hub is built around 4 integrated areas. The ‘shopper paradise’ is still the centrepiece consisting of product displays and associated customer service. The ‘Collection Crossroads’ satisfies the needs of the omnichannel shopper and facilitates the collection, delivery, return and exchange of goods.
The third element is the local ‘Community Hub’ which uses shop space to form links with the customer and local communities, from staging events to running courses..
Shop colleague involvement and interaction are essential to the community hub. Finally, retail hubs are increasingly using excess and flexible shop space for ‘Business Centres’ allowing the cost-effective delivery of retail places.
‘Less densely stocked shops with a vacuum of space, must be filled with life experiences to fill an even larger vacuum of ideas!’
Engaging new owners of shop space. Empowering retail functions with a stake in the ground.
Space planning for multi-use ‘retail hubs’ requires an assessment of ‘space users’ & ‘space stakeholders’ carried out at a high level by a cross-functional group including retail strategy, customer marketing, business development, omnichannel operations and sales analysts..
This team must be more innovative and open minded than the traditional product allocation team, with a wider stake holding in the potential retail opportunities that physical shops can now offer. Unfamiliar names must also be considered when it comes to putting a stake in the ground for retail square metres.
People will be at the heart of the retail hub, and the shop team will be at the centre of this. HR, training, and learning & development teams should help to create a template for space, and design, and facilities appropriate for shop colleagues, for training and customer interaction.
“We need to look at the creation of space that doesn’t exist. Creation through creativity. Floorspace through flexibility”
Creating ‘Intelligent fluid architecture’ for the flexible use of shop space
The potential for small spaces to swap space usage, as well as hybrid spaces at the centre of larger hubs allows exciting adjustments to the balance of square metres..
Three initiatives are important to facilitate such efficient and productive changes in space usage. Firstly, that product depth and inventory is kept to a commercial minimum to accommodate stock storage space. Secondly, that shop teams have appropriate training to be able to adapt their roles to suit the demand for selling, inventory management, click & collection and community activities.
Finally, that digital screens are used around the environment, that can effectively change the content, mood, and visual communication to support the appropriate use of space.
A summary of our client services.
Every retail business, businessman, entrepreneur and shopkeeper is different.
Every client project and collaboration we plan and deliver is different.
Our client pledge
To make every team member and colleague a ‘better’ retailer,
and to leave a permanent and positive legacy in every client business.
Let’s do something great together.
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’52 Steps to the Perfect Shop!’
weekly newsletter
For everyone looking to improve their physical shops,
or even thinking of opening their first pop-up or permanent shop,
we have written the ’52 Steps to the Perfect Shop!’ weekly newsletter, delivered direct to your inbox.
You too can have ‘The Perfect Shop’ by this time next year!