Understanding the client and the product In retail design it is necessary to understand the needs of clients in order to ‘entice’ their customers and come up with an effective product display, says Indu Varanasi.
Retail design is all about the relationship between the product or service being sold and the ambience in which it is sold. It is also about the relationship the product has with the retailer (in this case, the retail designer’s client).
This sacred relationship is the underlying value system that needs to be translated by a design team to create customer consciousness of the brand and product. This month, I will tread upon this relationship between clients and their products as well as their aims, ambitions and core values that need to be translated into physical form.
Clients (we all need them) come in various shapes and sizes. There are ‘big box’ clients for whom the retail outlet is all about ROI’s/SKU’s. For them, the outlet is just a place to sell because they sell products by volumes, hiring specialized teams to select what they should sell. Their principle interest is to attract customers through a pricing policy and sell and sell.
These clients and their stores form an important part of the retail globalisation scenario.
To understand them, it is necessary to appreciate their need to ‘entice’ customers through advertisements or other media communications as well as via walk-ins into their retail outlets. They are not looking for a select few; they are looking for the mass. The product display, circulation patterns and memory recall to the store, into the store and in the store are very important. Mass appeal and clear understanding with no ambiguity are the key words for such clients.
In such cases, clients are usually not individuals but a set of team members tasked with opening a store of ‘xyz’ square feet in ‘n’ weeks, and having ‘abc’ SKU’s on display. The design challenge is to meet the deadlines (usually shorter by any standard) and convert the ‘dry’ design brief into the company’s collective value system.
A mix of ideas produces the best value for mass appeal. However, one must keep in mind that the company’s ‘identity’ is created through its products – the products it owns or the product brands the store stocks. The concept of shop-in-shop as a representative element also helps create a collage of mini-concepts within such stores.
Other ‘big format’ stores are service providers who create a ‘set of services’ that become branded products and work on similar principles.
A dramatically opposite scenario exists in the case of entrepreneurs/first-time retail entrants at the individual level. Individuals as clients have a defined (defining) value system. It is usually about a product offering that is individualised or custom-made or a service offering that is unique and may or may not exist in the marketplace.
One has to understand the philosophy of the retail prospect and work with such individuals to create a brand – and thereby a brand identity – structured around their value system and what they want to achieve.
Such clients usually want to introduce their product as the best in town so their ideas are mostly strong and focused towards the end product. Inevitably, their preferences vis-à-vis style or colours influence the retail design. As a result, nuances of customer reactions, customer behaviour or even customer skill level in a retail environment may be missed out.
The design process involves moderating the individual’s taste to cater to either a niche clientele or a new clientele. At every stage, a delicate balancing act between the client’s perception and the consumer’s perception needs to be maintained. Design considerations are tutored for modular designs, flexibility and adaptability, depending on the product or service offered and the expansion plans. Parts of the individual client’s spirit and personality are reflected in this design.
There are many considerations in retail design. Clients have different preferences and designers need to have the right solutions in place to meet these complex requirements.
Products could range from low shelf-life (food products) to longer shelf-life products (fashion, garments, hardware, electronics), or they could be governed by trends or seasons.
Low shelf-life products are always about look, touch/feel (if packaged) and buy. Every product type needs to be visible, whether it is a pastry shop, sandwich store or ice-cream shop. In some cases, such as restaurants, live cooking stations add to the visual appeal. All packaged product needs to be in visual and physical proximity.
Long shelf-life products are not exactly time bound (for expiry date) but are governed by time and factors such as trends, fashion and technology.
Then there is the size of the product. Smaller-sized products such as jewellery and watches depend on a retail design that allows each and every product to be seen or inspected at close quarters. In cases where high-value items are kept under a secure barrier in served stores, the lighting or display needs to create the focus on the product.
In outlets selling fashion products, including clothing and accessories, designers use the best display mannequins while other product offerings are either hung or stacked up. The focus area in such outlets is limited.
Electronic products, depending upon the size of the product, also follow the general theory of the highlight display and then the secondary, but in this case the secondary display is very visible and accessible (sometimes) to the customer.
Large products, on the other hand, need the ambience or setting to put them within touch and feel of customers. These include furniture products or even large appliances.
Service as a product needs to reflect the service being offered. A yoga studio needs to reflect tranquillity while a health club needs vibrancy to inspire its visitors. The specialised equipments to provide the service also need to be considered.
I have used many products and examples in this discussion to communicate the main message about whom retail design is for and what the design is for.
Retail design needs to juxtapose the ‘client’, product and customer on the same canvas to create the painting that meets the client’s value system, displays the product in its true value and satisfies the customer’s needs.
In my next article, I will touch upon material of usage as an element of design.
Indu Varanasi is the principle designer at I R Design, an interior design company.
Thanks
i r design FZ LLC
Dubai Media City, Building No.8,
Office No. 216, Dubai,
United Arab Emirates
E-mail: indu@irdesign.org, contact@irdesign.org
Phone No: +971 4 3625280, +971 4 4278781
Website: http://www.irdesign.org
