Designing a store as a platform for content creation

Design 4Retail 26 July 2022

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Modern Retail Rituals For The Contemporary Store

Rituals are not just reserved for brands emanating heritage & tradition...

Our exploration into retail rituals has revealed that – despite how it might sound – retail rituals do not need to be religious, cultural, or based on a notion from ancient times. The core functions of retail rituals are to increase shopper confidence, provide experience, and for aspirational brand storytelling.

For authenticity and to reflect a brand’s heritage, some brands might implement rituals into their customer journey in the traditional sense of the word to give a nod to a relevant culture or time gone by. However, there are many brands whose philosophy is not reflective of a culture or time gone by, but who still wish to create a meaningful customer experience in their retail store/s.

SO WHAT DO MODERN RITUALS FOR THE CONTEMPORARY STORE LOOK-LIKE?

One ritual you might choose to offer your customers as they travel the journey to purchase is the opportunity to create digital content that can augment their social profiles and online presence. Why? Because nowadays a person’s online presence is an extension of oneself, and our desire for activity and experience in some cases can be partly attributed to our growing need to augment our online selves through high-quality, authentic content.

“75% of European shoppers – and over 80% of Millennials and Gen Z – said they would change their shopping behaviour if high street stores were more experiential” – An Epson Survey

What’s more, there are a growing number of vloggers, subject-matter experts, podcasters, digital DJs, and so on, whose online influence is vast! By featuring rituals in your store that facilitate digital content creation, your brand will be supporting a group of up-and-coming digital entrepreneurs.