Assignment 2 - Creative Lab
- 1. A Crash Course in Creativity Assignment 2 – Are You Paying Attention?
- 2. Go to at least 6 different stores. They can be at the same shopping center or different locations. Spend at least 15 minutes in each store making OBSERVATIONS using the lab guide for reference. Take photos to capture your observations. Create a presentation that captures your INSIGHTS and HIDDEN OPPORTUNITIES. What types of things had you missed before? What were your biggest surprises? Are there opportunities hidden in plain sight?
- 3. Strengths ◦ High volume of stores available ◦ Numerous verticals to explore Issues ◦ Six stores presents a massive amount of floor space and merchandise ◦ Prohibited from taking photos in several retail stores Solution ◦ Focus on the façade and entryway
- 4. I reviewed the following environments
- 5. Many of the stores have moved to a glass façade with the internal merchandise visible. It felt warmer because you could see what you were going to get into. Here you see two different approaches ◦ Whole Foods (WF) was more enticing with seasonal and sale items outside to invite you in ◦ Apple has a very open and empty front space to encourage you to walk in as far as possible before even demonstrating a product
- 6. • Once inside these two stores, the approach was significantly different. Likely based on the difference in product • Apple is all about touch, play and stay as long as you’d like • WF is setup more for the impulse buy as merchandise is at every eye level and stuffed in each nook and cranny you look at
- 7. Banana Republic took an approach I thought resembled the Apple store. It’s inviting to come in, but the merchandise is deeper in the store. Almost a dare to see how far you’ll walk for their items. The lack of merchandise up front surprised me. You have to walk this far just to touch sale product
- 8. MAC Cosmetics was a beautiful storefront with well placed sightlines into their products and demo stations • The details in the design elements made the place feel like a higher class experience. Details like the floor and demo seats made it feel like an upscale salon
- 9. Zumiez and Brookstone took an approach of “the more inventory the better” I was so overwhelmed and lost standing in the doorways that I didn’t even want to venture in They could use more organization and cleanliness in the first impression of their stores