CSA - March/April 2020

STORE SPACES

Experiential Retail Trends

By Marianne Wilson and Deena AmatoMcCoy

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RICHARD CADAN

American Girl

More than ever, it’s all about the experience in brick-and-mortar retail. Increasingly, retailers are tapping into experiential ideas to redefine their store spaces, immerse customers in their brand and engage customers — and give them shareable experiences that are not easily replicated online.

Here’s a look at some of the newer trends that are influencing experiential retail.

MICRO-EXPERIENCES Driven by experimentation and smaller “hands-on” experiences, so-called microexperiences provide brands with a way to keep customer engagement fresh. American Girl has long been known for its immersive experiences, but its new Manhattan flagship

uses a micro-experience to put a new spin on an old favorite.

The store invites shoppers into “Julie's Groovy World,” an exhibit that highlights the characteristics of American Girl’s blond, long-haired 1970s-era doll named Julie Albright. Julie is an advocate for girls’ rights and making a difference — and she was introduced in 2007.

While visiting Julie’s Groovy World, shoppers can shoot hoops at a 1970s arcade game; get tips on how to write a speech that could win an election (just like Julie did), and even take a selfie in a replica of the doll’s Volkswagen Beetle.

“Stories are always at the core of our experiences,” said Barbara Carlson, senior direc-

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tor of global creative services for American Girl, at the National Retail Federation’s 2020 BigShow in New York. “This microexperience not only immerses shoppers into the character’s world, it helped us give a 13-year-old doll new life.”

Natuzzi, the high-end furniture retailer, is using mixed reality (MR) to create its own micro-experience in its flagship on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. Wearing a pair of augmented reality (AR) goggles, shoppers can visualize 3D furniture and décor in their home before they buy it. After a store associate inputs the customer’s room dimensions into Microsoft-supplied software, customers don the goggles to position pieces of furniture, including sofas, chairs MARCH/APRIL 2020 CHAINSTOREAGE.COM