Take a wander into the basement of department store Selfridges in London and there’s a good chance you may encounter something unusual. Retailers and consultants are very fond of emphasizing the importance of “difference and experience,” but the reality is that it remains thin on the ground.
Selfridges is a little different, however: In the basement, shoppers come across a computer with a camera attached, and a couple of 20-something men will stand in front of you and, hey, presto, your head and upper torso have been scanned in 3-D. On its own, this is interesting, but Selfridges takes it one step further to capture the imagination: The 3-D computer image of the shopper is then fed to a 3-D printer, and a tiny version of the shopper’s bust emerges from the machine about 45 minutes later – as a lollipop.
Yes, that’s right, a lollipop that the shopper will then pay for and take home. And to an extent, it’s a win-win for all. For Selfridges, the chances are good that, while the printing is taking place, the shopper will take a gentle stroll around other parts of the shop and may spend additional money. For the 3-D printing men, a sale has been made, and the word about the experience involved will spread.
Finally, for the shopper, an experience has been imparted, and upon exiting, a memento is provided that will last for a while, at least. This is experience as it should be, as it so often is not. Shoppers perennially demand to be offered something different and, increasingly, to be entertained. This is the challenge facing retailers currently, and rising to this is not easy.
So the next time you leave a store feeling underwhelmed, consider how the retailer has not come up with goods. Experience remains retailing’s bold new frontier.
John Ryan is a journalist covering the retail sector, a role he has fulfilled for more than a decade. As well as being the European Editor of VMSD magazine, he writes for a broad range of publications in the U.K., the U.S. and Germany with a focus on in-store marketing, display and layout, as well as the business of store architecture and design. In a previous life, he was a buyer for C&A based in London and then Dusseldorf. He lives and works in London.
Don't miss John's session (“London’s Evolving Retail Scene: From the High Street to the Edgy East“) at IRDC this year, Sept. 9-11 in Austin, Texas! For more information about IRDC, visit IRDConline.com.