Your questions answered

How do we differentiate our offer from our competitors?

First you must realise that the retail environment is the embodiment of the soul of your company. It must reflect and deliver your point of view and a unique way of selling and relating to your customer. The store design must therefore be built around the company’s big idea, and reflect the genuine points of difference.

A truly successful concept and one which can evolve and therefore remain relevant and different, will only ever come from a solid well-conceived foundation.

The challenge for the retail designer is to manifest these points in three dimensional form, and to orchestrate a consumer experience that reflects all of the values of the company.

How best can I spend my retail design budget, given the retail estate we own?

Many retailers are now realising that to create a one-off flagship that is an entirely new concept, yet neglect the rest of the retail estate, will not always work in raising consumers’ perceptions of the brand. In many ways it can mean that the consumer is disappointed with any other retail site.

Retailers are beginning to consider ways of comprehensively affecting all of their retail estate, at varying levels. The level of investment is determined by the age of the retail site, the demographics of the location and the current trading figures. The challenge for the designer is to create an entirely scaleable solution, that creates the maximum impact with the minimum amount of spend.

How will my retail concept have longevity and look good in five to ten years’ time?

It’s impossible to guarantee that any concept will not date or become irrelevant, but careful consideration of a few key points at the outset can reap great benefits.

The life span of a store design is limited by two factors:

• relevance over time
• physical wear and tear of the store

The question of relevance can be addressed by ensuring that the store is designed on the solid foundations of a brief which reflects the company’s soul, values and position in the market and is not merely designed as a short-term architectural statement.

The concept can be made more relevant if, at its creation, it addresses the following criteria:

• meeting a defined customer need
• making the experience more rewarding and better than its competitors
• informing the design with knowledge of general retail trends and specific category analysis

Above all, the best way to guarantee the longevity of the concept is to ensure that it is simple to understand and manage. These solid foundations should ensure that the concept can flex and evolve over time and will therefore increase design longevity.

In order to avoid premature physical wear and tear, careful consideration has to be given to the design of the space and the choice of materials and finishes used.

• Make sure that the areas of high traffic can be refreshed quickly and cost-effectively in order to prolong life, and uphold the quality and values of the store.
• Really question finishes that are ‘of the moment’, but will quickly become tired and dated.
• Wherever possible look for enduring and inherent quality of materials and build, as over the long term they should bring savings.

How do we sell the design concept to our staff?

As a principle, key members of your staff should be involved before, during and after the implementation of a new concept. As the living, breathing representation of your brand, they are integral to the understanding of what needs to change; how that is proposed and ultimately, how it is being received. These key people need to generate the internal optimism and advocate the changes to the wider staff audience.