While the growth of the internet has created multiple channels to customers for retailers and brands, the challenge for many has been and still remains joining up the channels and the communications through them to create a consistent experience for customers.
Much has recently been made of retailers moving away from multi-channel to a customer centric focus, which essentially does away with retailers’ traditional attachment to silos and puts the customer squarely at the centre of the engagement.
An example of this can be seen in Victoria’s Secret’s New Bond Street flagship store. While the recent revamps on Regent Street have brought us a series of delightful store experiences, from Forever 21 to Superdry, Victoria’s Secret has re-invigorated the store by presenting the digital experience in a much more compelling way, to embrace rather than defend itself against multi-channel retailing that threatens to take store sales online.
Victoria’s Secret has made creative use of multimedia technology to create memorable experiences for customers - from the moment they enter the store, to the moment they leave.
The company is going for engagement with customers that simply cannot be replicated online, but which is consistent with the brand experience in every channel. A true destination store, the aim is to create a shopping experience that rates high on customers’ list of must visit stores in central London.
Key to the Victoria’s Secret flagship is that multi-media is not an afterthought but integral to the whole project, redefining what is possible in-store.
Store fitting and furnishing have been specially designed to enhance the digital experiences. The centre point of the store design is a mirrored hallway reflecting animation from the HD LCD video wall.
Video walls are integrated into the shop fitting (eg, in cash and wrap areas) to complement the store environment and layout. Content is regularly updated including live feeds to the latest fashion shows, ensuring every visit to the store feels fresh and unique.
Retailers are recognising that bringing multimedia to the centre of the store experience creates a whole different level of engagement with the customer.
Video and store soundscapes draw customers in, creating energy around the store and crucially, content can be regularly updated to ensure every visit feels fresh and unique.
When creating customer experiences, brands need to recognise the strategic value of the content they can create either visually or via the written word.
A simple example of this could be a digital community board in a coffee shop - where customers create the content through their mobile, the brand engages with its customers and content is generated that the brand can use. If the experience engages customers it then becomes the starting point to introducing more technologies.
Ultimately, the adoption of technologies as part of the overall customer experience enables brands to measure impact while also enhancing their brand value.
Because multimedia is able to create energy in the store and connect customers directly with the brand, retailers are boosting sales both in-store and online and this is where the business case lies.
More retailers and brands recognise that the key to sales is in making the store a place worth visiting, while ensuring they can give their customers a joined-up experience across all channels.