Judge a product by it’s store
Converting a window shopper or a random person walking by a store into a customer is a task as daunting as making customers online. In fact, I would argue that it is harder.
Online buying often only brings in the price of the product and delivery time into consideration. But, a store has to do so much more. It needs to convey a message. It needs to tell a story. It needs to bring in the kind of buyers it wants (and keep the rest out as well).
A store essentially is a living organism that represents the company as a whole. All the components inside a store play a very important role. Starting from the people in charge of sales, interior design, product placement and believe me, more than anything, the right lighting. Under bad light, even the best of products look bad.
Let's talk about two specific and distinct brands in this story— Louis Vuitton and Apple. I can challenge anyone that the number of times they would have walked into an Apple store would have been significantly higher than into a LV store. One common reason that would arise if questioned why to a group of people is — LV is a high end brand priced too high for most common men. That is right, but isn’t Apple doing it in its own domain — technology, $1000 for a phone?
Simply put, the number of window shoppers in Apple are considerably higher than LV.
What are the reasons for that?
It has to do with how the look of the store makes you feel — How it affects your psyche, and guides your thinking.
- Does the store make you feel welcome or asks you to stay away?
- Do you feel like the store connects with your wants?
- What is the level of affordability it showcases?
These are some questions, among many, your brain asks and answers within a few seconds to make up your mind to walk into the store or not.
The LV Store
The solid walls on either side of the doorways stresses on how the doorway is smaller than the rest of the store inside. This goes on to make us think that inside the store, there is a whole other world, and by coming in, we will be entering an exquisite place that is not meant for everyone.
Notice how the products are placed either inside glass cases or inside a section in a wall. What are the products we, usually, place in a cabinet or a glass case? — things that are precious, rare and the most important of all, not meant to be touched. That is what the LV store makes us think as well. Their products are meant only for select people and could be handled only by them.
The Nike store wants you to pick up a shoe. Nike is more open. More inviting to touch.
Notice how the shop conveys exclusivity. Right from it’s shut-out windows, solid-cases blocking the view through the windows, exquisite patterns to the mellow yellow lighting.
Now, the takeaways from the LV store are not to be taken negatively or treated as an arrogant approach towards store experience design. This is just another approach in store design which the company thinks best suits its brand image. I am sure most of us wouldn’t value their product if sold on the road side; in fact, our first thought is that it could be a fake.
The goal of the store is to attract only very certain people, and people who can afford it rather than inviting everyone to browse through the store. It seeks to make the shopping experience as exclusive as possible — fitting with the sale of its exclusive products.
In fact, I am not sure if this is practised world-wide, but customers are not encouraged to touch and feel every product in a LV store and in fact, the sales team uses gloves to showcase the products from the rack. It’s these little things that affect the psychology of people and makes the people who purchase it feel like they’re getting something incredible.
The Apple Store
The design of the Apple stores were closely overseen by Steve Jobs himself and with a company called Eight Inc.
Apple stores are widely considered to be the best designed stores of any brand. In fact, they are so distinctly designed that they stand out in any place. The interior design achieves this with the usage of three major visual elements — the shine of the aluminium, the charm of the wood and the peace of the white.
These three play a very important role in the shopping experience.
Wood : Wood is the most common element of visible nature. It’s common. It’s a part of most of our houses as cabinets and such.
Aluminium : Represents industry. Technology. Machinery. Something being forged. Created.
White Color : Peace. Calmness. Showcases whatever put on it without any distractions. Excellent for bouncing off light.
Initially, Apple stores were the first of its kind of two other major reasons besides the interior design — The Genius Bar and the pay-anywhere system. The Genius Bar was a section of the store where people could sit with the people in the store and could learn more about the product. The pay-anywhere system essentially eliminated the cash counter being the sole place for payment and allowed you to pay from where you stand.
The pay-anywhere system is incredible for another reason, it simply eliminates the chance for a person to have second thoughts while walking with the product in the hand while walking to the cash counter. Genius, right?
These things have now also been adopted by other brands these days. For example, the Nike Town stores.
The entire thing is made of glass. This is how almost all of Apple’s stores are designed. Look at how it feels like its connected to the world besides being distinct. Almost a paradox. Looks futuristic. Simple. The calmness just seeps into us from just looking at it.
The products are placed in the open for us to touch, feel and use. Apple wants you to experience its devices regardless of your interest in purchasing one. They don’t want you to waste any effort in even calling a sales rep to help you experience the product. How much more inviting could it get?
This makes an uninterested buyer think of getting one and slightly-inclined one to potentially get one.
The goal is simple, to make everyone who walks into the store to touch and feel an Apple device. Pairing this with the technology that Apple brings to the table, any product from them becomes irresistible.
The store experience is so unique that it is capable of standing out in most locations. Apple sections are a part of many major retail chains. The uniqueness of these sections are something really worthy of admiration.
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These two brands represent two very distinct shopping experiences. The experience in a store can make or break a brand — especially one that relies heavily on offline sales.
Hope you enjoyed today's story. I am recycling one of my old stories for today. Had previously put this up in Medium a while back.
See you on Friday! Have a great week ahead!