M&C MINIMAL AND CHIC BY: KAYLEE JONES
Customer Profile/Pinterest Board Explanation: The demographic I have chosen is the 25 to 30-year-old minimalist. She lives in a bigger city – the store will probably be located in an area like Boston, Massachusetts. She loves natural lighting, simple color palettes, and a healthy lifestyle. She’s just established herself in her chosen industry, so she is now leading a simple and calm lifestyle after years of schooling and stress. A lot of the images chosen were of black and white patterns. My customer’s color palette is mostly black and white, with the addition of greys and nudes. Geometric patterns are often part of her wardrobe and art collection. The spaces I’ve shown in the board are all well lit with natural, white light. My customer prefers a bright space because it feels clean and positive. The furniture also
reinforces this feeling; clean lines, simple design, in her color palette. My customer loves to indulge in food – but lives a healthy lifestyle. She eats right, but eats great. She loves finding new restaurants with fresh ingredients and recipes that taste good and are good for her. One of her favorite activities is eating out with her friends. She shops at stores like Zara, Topshop, and American Apparel. These stores sell great basics in styles that match her aesthetic. The store interiors are also visually appealing to her. They share her color palette, have open layouts, and bright lighting. Her wardrobe consists of a variety of basics in her favored, muted colors. She’d rather spend the money on high quality basics than try to keep following fads. Her style is classic and timeless, but incorporates some minimalist trends.
In-Store Experience: • The target demographic is more of a morning person, so I think a small café that offers coffee, and maybe a few brunch items, would be a good experience. This would make my store a good spot to meet up with friends and hang out in, not just a place to shop. • Music really creates a tone in a store, and using music from talented artists that aren’t that well known peaks a lot of interest. Having a Spotify playlist that includes all of the music played in the store would be a good way to use social media to make our store known, and also connect with the customers. They can look at our playlist if they want to know a specific song that was played. They also can suggest other music for us to add to the playlist, so they can help choose what they hear when shopping. • Displaying and selling local artwork that matches the aesthetic of the store could help connect us to the community, showcase new art and make a profit off of the sale, and bring customers in to find unique pieces from their own area.
Identify Competitors: Urban Outfitters My customer also shops at Urban Outfitters because it caters toward a similar lifestyle. It offers apparel, accessories, and home items; very similar product that I would want to offer in my own store. Store Observations: • Type and quantity of fixtures: A lot of Urban’s fixtures are custom made by their visual merchandising team, which make each store slightly unique. They have a lot of tables and clothing racks. They don’t have any two/four-ways or rounders. They also have shelving for accessories and hooks to hang clothing on the walls. • Quantity of product on each fixture: For the most part, there is a small quantity of product on each fixture. The tables will only have about 3-4 items folded and there is a larger quantity hanging on the racks. • Use of mannequins/dress forms: There were a lot of mannequins spread out around the store and displayed the product that they
were located around. The styling was on trend and eyecatching. • Store signage: I only noticed one sign promoting 5 for $25 underwear, but other than that there wasn’t very distinct signage. Not even to specify that men’s clothing and home was upstairs. • Store layout: On the first floor there is a forced path straight to the back towards the stairs, but there is a grid-style layout on either side of that path. • Transition zone: When you first walk in to the store there is open space in the center and multiple display focal points that pull you in different directions depending on what product you may be looking for (apparel versus accessories). • Focal Points: Most focal points included product placed on a table, a mannequin or two, and some sort of custom made installation. • Store atmosphere: The music played is a little obscure, but still popular for their target market (They aren’t playing music straight off the top charts, but maybe popular indie hits). The
fragrance of the store may be caused by the candles they sell and place in multiple areas. The flooring changes from concrete to wood in certain areas, like on the stairs. Paint colors include white, pale grey, and a slight blue tone. The lighting is natural, not too bright but not very dim. There is also a lot of natural lighting from the big windows. There was only seating in the dressing room, there wasn’t even seating near the displayed shoes. Strengths: • One strength would be styling. The mannequins and the products that are placed together go well and are also often interchangeable. The way they are grouped can convince a customer to purchase multiple pieces because they all can go together to make different outfits. • Urban is also great at using their store environment to convey a lifestyle. The merchandising makes their product easier for the customer to picture in their own life. They do this by combining a lot of different types of product (apparel,
accessories, and home) to create a well-rounded picture of who the store is catering to. • The way the store is set up also allows the customer to want to stick around. There are a lot of different areas to explore. Weaknesses: • There is a significant lack of signage. They may be trying to avoid looking like a typical retailer, but at least specifying that the men’s department in on a separate floor would be an improvement. • There isn’t a good amount of seating – and I think this is a missed opportunity because they could place furniture that they sell online in the store with signage that customers can purchase the couches/chairs/etc. on their website. • Some of the fixtures are difficult to shop; specifically, the tables. The tables have shelves built underneath that they have placed product in, but it is hard to see and you have to bend down to look through the sizes. It’s not very practical and makes more work for the customer. In-store Experiences:
This specific Urban didn’t really have any unique in-store experiences, but I have been to stores that have a photo booth in the where you can take pictures with your friends. American Apparel My demographic goes to American Apparel for the basics. They admire the minimal styles and the sweatshop-free manufacturing. Store Observations: • Type and quantity of fixtures: There were a lot of metal four-ways in the store, and there were some hooks on the wall to display clothing. There were also a few rounders. • Quantity of product on each fixture: There were large quantities of product on each fixture, making it a bit difficult to shop. • Use of mannequins/dress forms: There were really only mannequins in the windows, displaying a small amount of clothing. • Store signage: There was a good amount of signage, informing the customers on what type of item was on each rack. It would be very easy for a regular customer to find the item they went into the store knowing they wanted.
• Store layout: It was a small racetrack, there was a path that led through one side of the store all the way to the back, and then back around to the front where the cash wrap was located. • Transition zone: There wasn’t really a transition zone, it is a small location so when you first walk in there was already product surrounding you. • Focal Points: The focal point was the wall displaying new items. It was in the center of the store and had some images placed alongside the product. • Store atmosphere: The lighting was very white and bright. The paint was all white, the flooring was wood. Most of the store was black and white. The music was similar to that of Urban. There was one bench located near the dressing room. Strengths: • The product itself is a strength. It can be difficult for consumer to find a specific basic that doesn’t have any trendy bells and whistles. The customer who is looking for the minimal basic knows that they can find it at American Apparel.
• The lighting in the dressing rooms is almost legendary. It’s even started a hashtag on Instagram (#AAselfie) because customers love how they look in that lighting. And if the product looks good in the dressing room, the consumer will probably be making the purchase. Weaknesses: • The store was a little cluttered. There was a lot of merchandise packed on to each rack, and there wasn’t enough empty space. The minimalist customer I am targeting appreciates a little negative space. • The fixtures themselves are standard, metal four-ways and racks. This choice makes the store seem more cold; it doesn’t offer a warm, inviting feeling. In-Store Experiences: As I mentioned before, there is a trend of the #AAselfie, and the store has acknowledged it by placing signage encouraging customers to post their selfies with the hashtag. Free marketing!
REAL ESTATE LISTING LOCATION: I chose a commercial front that is located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. I thought a city like Boston would be a good fit for my boutique because it’s still an urban area, but it is a little quainter compared to cities like New York or Los Angeles. This specific location is prime; it is surrounded by upscale shopping – stores that my specific demographic would be shopping at and is able to afford. STORE EXTERIOR: The brick walls, large windows, and black molding would be a perfect accent to my commercial space. The windows will allow a lot of natural light, the high ceilings will allow for a very open layout, and the exterior of the store will go well with the minimal aesthetic of the brand. With the building being a brownstone, it creates a neighborhood feeling, which my customer loves. The boutique will be very inviting because it will feel like the customer is walking into someone’s home – a home that represents their own lifestyle.
SURROUNDING STORES
MOOD BOARD Ø
Black, grey, and white color palette
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Dark hardwood floors
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Whitewashed brick accent wall
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Pops of green using plants
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Large mirrors
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Natural Lighting
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Simple fixtures made from piping
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Dress forms to display clothing
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Shelving for Accessories
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Shelving to display art
IN-STORE EXPERIENCE The in-store experience my boutique offers is the opportunity to display and sell local art. This would not only create a beautiful visual moment in the store by creating an art wall, but will also attract many customers who enjoy supporting local artists. There is a good chance that the artists we work with are also customers of the store because they share the same aesthetic. This experience will build a relationship with the community, attract the artists that fit our demographic, help to obtain
unique
merchandise,
while
also
gaining revenue by having an agreement that gives the store a percentage of the profit.
EXTERIOR & INTERIOR
M&C
M&C
PLANOGRAM shelving
Cash wrap
Clothing rack
Clothing rack Bench
Window Display
Entry
RECIPES FOR SUCCESS: Recipe 1: Shorten Wait-Time Perception Since my store will be selling so much local art, there will be large art wall installations (including one above the cash wrap). While my customers are waiting in line, they will have a lot of different pieces to admire from where they are standing. This will also help to encourage a purchase because they will be able to request a certain piece since they have had the time to view it. Recipe 2: Price Perception The merchandise at M&C will be of a higher price point. There will be a limited amount of product displayed, and the fixtures will be unique and artistic – thus reinforcing that the product is of quality. Recipe 3: Meeting the Needs of Senior Citizens In order to cater to the needs of older generations, my store will have bright lighting, mimicking natural
sunlight, have nonslip flooring, does not have multiple levels, and has various seating areas for resting. Recipe 4: Keep Customers in the Store Longer M&C will use a few different strategies to keep our customers shopping. The music will be of our target demographic’s taste, but a few songs will be from artists they may not have heard of, which could peak their interest and make them stay to enjoy the new songs. We will have plant life in the store that creates a calm feeling. The fitting rooms, where customers can try on the merchandise, will also increase their time spent in the store. Recipe 5: Trigger Impulse Buys There will be small items like jewelry, candles, lotions etc. at the cash wrap for customers to make last minute purchases. Apparel will also be bundled together in the visual display, which will encourage the consumer to purchase the entire outfit, matching accessory, etc.
Recipe 6: Include Shopping Conveniences M&C shopping conveniences include seating for breaks, fitting rooms, and the option to check coats into the coat closet. Recipe 7: Create a State of Flow When customers enter the store, the employees immediately greet them and offer to hold their coats and bags to free them from any inconvenient distractions while shopping. Merchandise will be bundled to make shopping easy for the consumer – they will know how to style and pair items. The fitting rooms are located in the back of the store so that customers can view all the product before trying the garments on.