As today’s consumers look to in-person shopping as a way to escape stress and routine, retailers have an opportunity to reinvent how they engage with them. A valuable tool in these efforts is highly immersive and highly engaging store displays.
“Today’s shopper just wants to have fun,” says Anne Kong, a gia expert juror, educator and designer specialising in visual merchandising, exhibition design and brand activation.
“Millennials and Gen Z value experiences over material possessions. Store displays need to be larger than life.”
Retailers looking for inspiration should look no further than the wide array of pop-up shops, art installations and brand experiences appearing all around us, she says. They’re often highly immersive, highly engaging and highly Instagrammable. They’re also only available for a limited period of time.
A good example is the extremely popular Poppi World from healthy soda brand Poppi, which was one of many pop-up experiences in New York City during Fall Fashion Week.
“We were enveloped in this magenta environment from ceiling to floor—carpeting, neon, wall colour, lighting, music and entertainment—to celebrate the launch of their new cherry cola flavour,” explains Kong.
“We were immersed in an interactive world where we were sipping, shopping exclusive merch and interacting with things like Infinity refrigerators and TV walls.”
You don’t have to be a trendy start-up brand to get in on the action. Iconic luxury brand Tiffany & Co recently partnered with four contemporary British artists to create immersive displays in London inspired by the company’s legendary window designer Gene Moore from 1955-1994.
But it’s not enough to create displays that are visually appealing, adds Kong. Millennials, Gen Z and even up-and-coming Gen Alpha are purpose-driven and want to see their values reflected in where they shop and what they buy. That includes sustainability, inclusivity and ethics for Gen Z and convenience, quality and meaningful brand connections for Millennials.
Want to read more? Check out the full article in our visual merchandising feature in Giftguide’s Autumn issue.
Related News
