A Look at the Latest Retail and Design Trends

Over the past two weeks, we attended retail conferences where we met with other retail industry professionals to learn more about strategies and innovations shaping the retail world today. What we found to be a common trend among retailers is that they are doing away with the old metrics for evaluating their store’s effectiveness. No longer are they paying as close attention to the number of sales per square foot. Instead they are looking at the lasting impressions they make on their visitors. They want to know – are customers receiving a memorable experience? Many retailers are utilizing technology and interactive store design to fuel a noteworthy customer experience. We’ll look at some retail stores that are doing just that in this week’s blog.

TOPSHOP:

You may have noticed the image above of a retail store with a slide weaving through its various sections. The image was taken at Topshop, a fashion retailer owned by the Arcadia Group, during its “SPLASH!” campaign in the UK last year. The installation announced Topshop’s swimwear line and allowed customers to take a virtual splash into the store. Customers utilizing VR goggles were thrilled to experience a virtual tour of Oxford Street that was only available for a limited time.

VANS:

Vans, a retail brand known widely for its iconic skateboarding lifestyle products, is using a different kind of experience to fuel customer impressions. In two of its California stores, Vans offers a skatepark in addition to its traditional retail store. These skateparks offer ramps, bowls, and other options for customers who want to drop in and stay for a while.

SLEEP NUMBER:

Image sourced from Adweek – See resources

Mattress and bedding manufacturer, Sleep Number, was on a mission to make the mattress shopping experience less painful. To do so, they are leveraging unique technologies to bring customers into their store. In their new Manhattan store, when you lay down on a bed, an interactive TV screen on the ceiling displays a heat map of your body’s pressure points. Sleep Number experts can use this information to adjust the bed to better fit to your body.

Conclusion:

With all this talk about creative ways to fuel a customer’s experience, where does a Permit Expediter come in? If you have an idea for a new design concept or experience, you’ll likely need to get it approved by the local jurisdiction prior to moving forward. Permit Expediters can streamline the process and help you get your plans approved by the city or jurisdiction. They can advise on retail zoning codes and meet with city officials to help you obtain your mechanical permits, electrical permits, and other building permits necessary to create your ideal experience.

About Permit Advisors:

Permit Advisors Inc. is a complete permit, entitlement consulting, and expediting firm based out of Beverly Hills, CA. We go beyond just submitting plans, as you may have experienced with previous expediters. We have established strong relationships with officials of many municipalities and have numerous time and cost saving strategies that we implement to efficiently complete projects. We aim to secure all permits as quickly as possible. We keep track of all aspects of the permitting process and make sure that the project is given full attention by everyone on the team. We responsibly update clients and ensure that lines of communication are open between the jurisdiction, consultants, and the client. Contact us today for a consultation.