Next event:
ERINN SAVAGE – Performance
Tomorrow 15:00 GMT

A Challenging Commercial Climate

With consumer confidence dropping further every day, retailers already faced a challenging commercial climate. In countries with main Covid-19 outbreaks, retail has been one of the hardest-hit sectors.

Evolution of retail

The history of retail can be divided into four periods, over the past two years, the retail sector has moved away from brands dictating how, when and where items are sold, purchased and shared, to consumers embracing direct-to-consumer models or creating their own peer-driven platforms. However, covid-19 has led shoppers to flock back to trusted household names and brands they recognise as safe and supportive. So, I am wondering how the relationship between brands and consumers is becoming increasingly conversational and circular?

Concept:A Frictionless Sound Theatre

A new retail model is coming: It is a new self-service store in post-pandemic era. Online shopping customers to try on their purchases, make returns and send packages. Also, for online brains do present their products to the consumers. For brand experience center, I want to metaphorically replicate a journey of hearing: as visitors walk up stair what they can perceive with their ears become more. This kind of action mode is like a journey, from eyesight controlling the desire to an un-instagrammable place, where can hear the curiosity.

Hangzhou: the hub of Chinese e-commerce

The site I chose is the center of Hangzhou in China, because Hangzhou is the hub of Chinese e-commerce, Lakeside Street located in the most prosperous business, tourism and leisure area of Hangzhou. Generally, it is the gathering place of many chain stores. For the brand, I chose Yeation, which is an online shopping platform owned by Chinese Internet technology company NetEase mainly for household supplies, its also the pioneer of online brand materialization. Last year, it opened the first offline store of the region in Shanghai, but it is still a design in traditional social scenes, if it wants to lead the future trend of retail, the physical store must adapt to the wave of new technology and make changes.

Form Generation

How to create these visions? There are 3 strategies. First one is Touch Free Technology, it will be an essential tool for facilitating customer interactions that don’t require touch. Secondly, Bespoke sound strategies, use sound to tell brand stories in unique and exciting ways. Finally, automated storage and retrieval system, which directs the proper automated storage and retrieval machine (SRM) to the location where the item is stored and directs the machine to deposit the item at a location where it is to be picked up. It can reduce labor, reduced inventory levels, more accurate tracking of inventory, and space savings.

Customer Journey Map

hygienic purchasing process

Interactive shop window

How to create a meaningful waiting experience? The potential for interactive digital experiences opens up a new world of possibility. Shop windows become a huge screen for urban soundscape. The purpose is using technology to bring people into the physical life. After visualizing the urban soundscape around the building, the generated visualization would be projected onto shop windows.

Entrance

unmanned warehouse

food area

Clothing

sample room

Cafe being disinfected

The frictionless sound theatre

Finally, in order to create a multi-sensory brand experience, I combine different audio dimension of the brand with the spaces and made a video.