Industry veteran Chris Ohlinger has devoted his 30-year career to retail research—first at Kroger where he established the consumer research department, then as founder of retail consulting firm Service Industry Research Systems Inc. where he’s just completed a 10-month tour of interesting, innovative retail spaces around the globe. (Wonder if he needs an assistant?) In his IRDC general session, World Retail Tour—Off the Beaten Path, Chris will share pictures, stories and insight gleaned from his retail odyssey.
IRDC: You spent 10 months traveling all over the world, visiting retail spaces large and small. What were you hoping to discover?
CO: When I was with Kroger, several senior managers did a whirlwind tour—mostly of Europe—to freshen our perspective. It really changed our view so much, giving a lift to a stagnant mindset, which set in motion a great period of growth and creativity. Today, especially, with the world growing smaller and the U.S. more diverse, I wanted to discover new ideas beyond our borders in some of the more “exotic” parts of the world. According to shoppers, there’s been a growing “sameness” in retailing in the U.S. So I wanted to discover what retail ideas could be transferable to the U.S.—and what ideas might be transferable from the U.S. to the different parts of the world.
IRDC: What about this trip, overall, surprised you the most?
CO: I was surprised to find how varied the world is in its retail offerings. And strategically, from a design standpoint—at least from what I consider the best of the best—I was surprised by how close to “art” they treated the design of their stores. From a tactical standpoint, I was surprised to see what other countries were doing in the area of lighting, both inside and outside of the store.
IRDC: I’m sure it’s difficult to pick just one favorite, but tell us about one store that really blew you away with its design and/or visual merchandising—and with how well it seemed to resonate with customers.
CO: There are a lot of stores that were absolutely wonderful. The Saturn electronics store in Hamburg, Germany, was one. It was easy to shop (offering great lines of sight as you shopped the store), entertaining inside and outside the store (including a shopper “performance stage” and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle show) and it used technological innovation to merchandise the store better.
And in Japan, the Isetan shopping center in the Kyoto Station Building was uniquely designed with the retailer in mind. At the same time, it offered the customer an ease of shopping I’ve never seen. It was designed in the shape of stacked, offset dominos. You travel on a series of escalators that go up eight floors in a straight line, exposing different levels and the glass-enclosed stores. You could stop on any of the levels and see the stores, the displays and the merchandise almost in their entirety. It might not have been the most efficient use of space, but it certainly was the most customer- and retail-friendly shopping area I’ve ever seen.