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The Maker’s Story: The New Retail Narrative

Strong merchandise stories create loyal customers

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As retail experience makers, we pay close attention to patterns and trends that influence how consumers interact with brands. Design cues and aesthetic considerations aside, we notice product and merchandise stories that are compelling, surprising, and most importantly, authentic.

Consumers today are looking for more contextually rich retail experiences that allow them to learn about where products come from and how they’re made. The new retail narrative is about the “maker’s story” and developing a stronger point of connection with consumers.

We like to know where our products originate, and how the brands we love make the stuff we buy. The trend likely began with our food culture, and an ever-growing desire to support real and local products.

This trend has definitively crossed over into classic retail. There’s a bit of old-school mentality here; we are more likely to become brand loyalists and champions of products that truly connect with our lives. And when a passion product becomes a retail destination, the recipe for success is even more likely to succeed. If you’re looking to craft your own Maker’s Story, here are a few brands that are tackling the challenge exceptionally well. Follow their examples, and be a maker.

Mast Brothers
New York-based chocolatiers Rick and Michael Mast pioneered the bean-to-bar process to create the Mast Brothers’ brand: handmade, artisanal chocolates. During a time when most specialty shops purchase bulk chocolate from larger corporations, they focused on bringing things back to their origins – the bean. At their Brooklyn flagship factory, the detailed production is showcased throughout the space. A chalkboard wall describes the bean-to-bar process, while guests can also check out the grinding schedule outlined on the burlap sacks of beans that decorate the space. Workshops, tours, and tastings grant guests exclusive access to the artisanal experience. 

Shinola
With a focus on American-made products, lifestyle brand Shinola celebrates Detroit as a manufacturing hub for their handcrafted watches, bicycles and leather goods. More than just selling product, this part-retail, part-factory flagship is a community space where you can really experience the brand. It celebrates the city’s legacy of manufacturing with bike assembly and watch factory production on-site. Shinola timepieces are cross-merchandised with other product like footballs, books, bicycles and bags, to encourage guests to explore. You might even spot the original shoe polish – defunct since the 60s – which now serves as the redefined brand name. Shinola has not only revived an interest in the original craftsmanship of products, but also a created a lesson in reinvigorating retail in urban communities.

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Brooklyn Brewery
While many of today’s national beer brands have been around for decades and have built a sense of nostalgia with consumers, craft brewers are focusing on a different story – the maker’s story. In the cultural hotspot of Williamsburg, Brooklyn Brewery’s process is evident to guests before they even step foot inside. The façade of the building serves as a large-scale billboard for their six-step brewing process and transforms the windows into silhouettes of kettles and tanks. During the week, small batch evening tours are available upon reservation, or you can swing by Saturdays and Sundays for free tours; kick back with a cold one and some conversation in the Tasting Room.

So, what’s your Maker’s Story? Craft your retail narrative and create an experience that is authentic only to your brand – and your shoppers will be sure to take note.

Jay Highland is chief creative officer at Chute Gerdeman, a retail design agency located in Columbus, Ohio. With a combination of retail expertise, strategy and design process from initial concept creation to store implementation, Jay instinctively understands how to build relationships between brands and consumers. His work has been honored with industry design awards, has been featured in several leading publications and he is a regular speaker at industry events.

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