RESEARCH -Fashion futures

I have just read a book by Richard Hammond called "Smart Retails" 3rd edition

"Retail theatre is about animating a store, making it live and breathe, Telling stories with colous, sound, movement and even smells and tastes."

I would like to explain why I think this book can be relevant for my research. First of all, it is based around retail which is a medium between fashion consumers and the designer. So when I decided to deal with installations I didn't exclude terms such as Visual Merchandising, for example.
Vice versa, I think it's another type of installation.

As I have already stated many times in this blog, I am really inspired by the costumer experience arranged using digital and team motivational techniques used by Burberry's Angela Ahrendts and Christopher Bailey.

In my next post I will add a video where Angela Ahrendts explains the strategy of the company.

Retail is an important part of the idea of installation. As installation is an artistic approach to selling/ showing/ positioning good or a work of art. So it's a mean of communication with a viewer/customer.

But now I would like to highlight main points I took from the book about smart retail.

Credits:
Smart Retail (3rd ed) by Richard Hammond, Pearson Education limited (2011)


"Give the best you can to get the thing you want"

Author gives some ideas on how to motivate your working process, also mentions visioning techniques used by trainer Bob Caton (p.4)

Again, if we take Burberry's stores and how they organise the whole experience in store, I wouldn't be possible without the passion of their team.

So Hammon also says: "Passion is what drives great retail; and customers, as well as colleagues, love it" (p.6),
"Customers leave a store run by a passionate team feeling like they want to come back"(p.6)

What a brand or a designer should do, is "getting yourself noticed- showing the wider business that you are a bit special and person worth backing"(p.9)

Again, this is another point that can be the reason for making a nice presentation/ installation, OR it can always be a pre-stage to a certain type of positioning of the product that is a certainly very important thing to remember when arranging such an event as installation or designing a visual merchandising project.

In chapter 4, p.15, Hammond reminds: "There are no secrets to retail. One thing changed can be the start of something big. Change one detail noticed by one customer, who mentions it to five others, who each tell five more, and you can see that change can make big impact"

To my mind, the next thing I'll point out for my own research, is very important to mention, it's about "reading stores", or what they consist of. In my mind, a perfect fashion installation would be in store, that would make this project a perfect accessory to the general concept of the space.

So Hammond points out 3 components (p.16) :

A-The store
B-Its staff
C-Its customers

STORE:

-from outside

-watch people walking past
-how many glance at the window?
-how do they react if they do?
-how do they move if they then come into the store?

-from inside

-watch where customers are going
-which part of each section do they enter first?
-look at people's eyes (what do they see/what do they miss)
-what things do they touch? (which items they pick and from where/ how long do customers linger over each display fixture)
-etc

It is important in visual merchandising or installation to depict (if that's a retail store and the collection is being promoted) to remember 

"Every great retail business is built around a Big idea" (p.25)

"SIMPLE THINGS- STRONGLY STATED" (p.44)

Installation is- FUN! And Hammond mentions is as a part of the experience! Coming back to the example of Burberry, if you even take their fashion shows, they find it important to engage their guests in the experience (see AW 2012-2013 show, and a confetti rain falling from the ceiling keeping the crowd amused, see their Regent Street store events that happen within their live broadcasting of the runway projects arranged for special customers etc)

"Fun is a value that many people believe, and I agree, should be part of the working environment. Fun makes shopping enjoyable. We are all in the business of making shopping fun" (p.45)

And I reckon an installation is a great example of how to keep your customers entertained.

Chapter 9 is called "WE LOVE SHOPPING HERE!"

and is about "Great customer service".

Hammond says that "the word "EXPERIENCE" is important: great customer service is made up of lots of individual customer experiences and I much prefer using the word "experience" rather than "service". "

He also says, that all of us, coming to shop, would want to get some little extra to feel extra-good after spending money or in other words, to be ourselves happy. So here's a list of 'extras' given on p.108, that I would use as a nice inspiration of possible events/occasions to set an installation in store!

here's that list (of extra services):

-recommendations

-product demonstrations

-masterclass technique démonstrations

-product training for customers

-tip sheets

-after-sales service

-trade-in

-expert staff

-try-before-you-buy

! I think all the additional services could be organised not just on a daily basis but also, as separate event-days.!

And those special Nights are mentioned on p.127:

"Inviting selected customers to join you in store for an exclusive evening of demonstrations and offers can be very effective. Provide refreshments and snacks and if appropriate bring a relevant speaker, and entertainment too. Try to pick a theme or a special reason for doing it because that can help you to more effectively promote the night. A sports shop for example could invite customers to celebrate the Eng;and Football Manager's birthday. It's frivolous, sure, but gives you a hook too. This is another one that can get you coverage in the local paper".

And actually, I got interviewed when I was invited to a closed event by Burberry at Regent Street, and they interviewed me for Evening Standard. Which is obvious- those nights a to celebrate the brand, its customers dedication, reward them with a unique opportunity to see Keiser Chiefs and have some drinks and have a nice amount of time for networking!

so the key point of why I use this book in my research is underlined by a few paragraphs from chapter 12, page 150:

"when customers wander around your store, or look into the windows they are subconsciously demanading : 'INSPIRE ME! MAKE ME WANT TO LOOK AT SOMETHING!' 

If there's a trick to retailing it's in understanding how to manage that to demand to your advantage. the principle tools you have to do that with are:

-your external communications

-windows

-use of retail theatre

-discovery " 

So now I've approached the very core of the important information I can use from this book!

Chapter 14, p 167 is called "The Big Theatre of Shop":

"The Stew Leonard's case study featured some great big dripping chunks of retail theatre- an idea that's so critical to creating great customer experiences. Theatre. Hmm, we love a bit of Shakespeare and all that .. I'm not talking about that kind of a theatre. Well, I am actually, but not in the same way: retail theatre is about animating a store, making it live and breathe, Telling stories with colous, sound, movement and even smells and tastes.

 What for? Reasonable question. The answer is: bringing the store to life brings your customers to life, too.
Your biggest challenge is to get customers to pick up stuff and interact with it and with staff- get that happening and you sell more things.

We have challenge in store. It is physiologically hard for people to pick out one thing from another if those things are static."

FUNDAMENTALS OF RETAIL THEATRE
Then he goes mentioning just two types of those things:
-Vocal promotion (i.e. "three for price of two", but in case of installation the relevant idea would be music and some audio sounds)

- Merchandising
"The arrangement can make it seem there is more to suggest than there actually is." (p.173)
"The colours of adjucent items are careful selected too."
"Managing perceptions is also an aspect of great retail theatre"
"One easy way to get a bit of performance and movement into the store is to do lots of demonstrations."

Chapter 15 explains why details (and installations!) are important!
(p.179)
"at the simplest, the store fixtures and fittings, signage colours and windows are there to do a very simple set of things:

1 tell customers about what you are
2 tempt them to come in
3 display products nicely
4 show off focus and promotional displays
5 lead customers through the different ranges
6 make it easy to select and pay for stuff"

I think, it can be an answer to the question- WHY INSTALLATIONS/ PRESENTATIONS/ DISPLAYS ARE IMPORTANT IN FASHION?

LOOK AND FEEL

"It's relatively easy to create knock0out gorgeous stores at sensible cost. Especially that manufacturers are often keen to supply retailers with great-looking free, or part-sponsored, display systems. But even if you're spending your own money, you must match that spend to your Big Idea"

WINDOWS

"YOUR WINDOWS ARE OUTSIDE COMMUNICATORS SO THEY MUST BE MADE TO WORK HARD FOR YOU.

A good window display is critical. It must be welcoming: it must give passers-by reasons to come in. New products are great on window displays. "

YOUR WINDOW DISPLAYS CAN DO THREE OF THE FOLOOWING THINGS:

INTRIGUE

abstract but sharply focused images that pique costumers' interst. (i.e. All Saints) It is a theatrical intrigue, makes people want to know what's going on and it can also suggest tailoring, hand-making and quality.

INFORM

i.e. sales details

INSPIRE

i.e."Flirty dresses are a key to spring"