High-impact Retail Design: The Importance of Creativity

In today's society the need for retail creativity is becoming more apparent, making it a must in the store design process. This is no different for Beijing or the whole of China for that matter, as the desire to produce innovative store designs is becoming necessary. Despite the fact that shopping can be done from home there is still a craving for a tangible shopping experience valued by customers.

Creating a Buzz: Keep it Fresh and New.

Word-of-mouth marketing has been sped up by social media to the click of a button. This means that good but also bad news travels fast. Therefore retailers have to find fresh and new ideas to keep customers interested. This can be accomplished by an enjoyable and unique shopping experience, which is achieved through strategic retail design.

Why is it important?

As customers, there are two main reasons why we shop: because we need to or because we want to. However choosing where we want to shop is usually based on how we perceive the store and how the store makes others perceive us. If you want to attract young and hip customers, your store needs to provide a young, hip environment. If your store is looking to attract the older generation, then you need to design your store experience accordingly. In other words, design your store with your target audience in mind.

Let your design do the talking.

If you are able to make your retail design differentiate you from others in your industry, this will give you a competitive advantage. Good retail design is a store’s best advertisement as it can draw customers into your brand experience.

Take Swatch for example, their main products are quality watches from classic designs to interchangeable colorful wrist bands. Having modular products conveys different lifestyle that consumers can connect too. 5 Star Plus Retail Design has designed the Swatch House for their Autumn/Winter 2014 collections at the Commune, a boutique Hotel at the Great Wall in Beijing. Each room expresses the lifestyle of the four latest Swatch collections: Highland Mix, A World in Colors, Classic and Let it Shine. Customers can see, touch, feel, hear and even smell the brand’s identity, fulfilling an unforgettable tangible and an intangible brand experience.

Using your physical space to the best of its ability will help drive sales and customer engagement. This is done through an enjoyable, well-lit, easy to move around and a clear display of products in the store. It is important that everything about your store design reflects on your brand identity.