OFFLINE RETAIL EXPERIENCES IN A DIGITAL WORLD
With the China market being so overwhelmingly digital (52% of retail sales happen online, versus only 15% in the US), it’s time to re-imagine the purpose of offline retail and what people can get out of it. In particular, what can the real world offer that the digital experience cannot? What space does this free up in the offline retail world?
Instead of just displaying and stocking products, brands can use physical environments as venues to build connections with customers – literally giving them some space while presenting people with brand-relevant experiences.
The roles of offline and online are in many ways getting flipped upside down. The online world is distinctly transactional – highly efficient and accessible, but lacking in meaningful interaction – while offline spaces are where relationships with customers can properly grow and form more intimately, and naturally.
IKEA SHIFTS FOCUS AWAY FROM FURNITURE TO PEOPLE
Ikea’s Shanghai Xuhui store was the first Ikea to open in the Chinese mainland. After 23 years, it underwent a huge transformative renovation that shows what retail environments can do to build experiences.
The aim of the refresh was to keep their core products unchanged, but provide a new, different, varied, memorable and meaningful experience for visitors.
Impressive design features like the oversized entrance stairway lined with comfortable seating send a strong message from the start – this is not just a store, it’s a place to explore, share and be social. It’s not just for selling products.
Flexible functionality is built into the space, allowing for versatile ways to connect spaces and people – social spaces that amplify the brand without being in your face about it – allowing for real emotional connections to unfold.
COLLABORATIVE, INNOVATIVE SPACES THAT BRING IDEAS TOGETHER
The Shanghai Xuhui store features three independent spaces, each usable as co-creative zones where people can explore and engage with different design processes, allowing for highly interactive social activities. Digital experiences are also incorporated throughout the store, allowing for mobile ordering of products and food, registration for events and deliveries.
GIVING CUSTOMERS A CHANCE TO GET HANDS ON CREATIVELY
The new IKEA location provides a lot of hands-on opportunities for visitors to participate in. The creative collaborations offer a chance to go a step further than just assembling furniture, with the ability to customize products and create new things. This taps into a growing interest within China to be involved in creative activities, and provides an exciting space to do so.
