Building Authentic, Purpose-Driven Community in Retail
RECENTLY, Axis Display Group ATTENDED VMSD’S INTERNATIONAL RETAIL DESIGN CONFERENCE.
This educational networking event is designed to bring brands, retailers, architects, suppliers, and students together to share their perspectives on retail design and visual merchandising. Throughout our listening to various keynotes, hanging out at roundtable lunches, and going off-site to explore, three main points of conversation rose to attention:
Building Authentic, Purpose-Driven Community
Location-Based Store Customization
The Micro-Migration Away from In-store Digital Use
This piece summarizes our thoughts on the first point.
THE PURPOSE OF COMMUNITY-BASED RETAILING
The vast majority of us have a great need for genuine human connection. It’s through our interactions with others that we learn more about ourselves and our place in the world. We construct our identities and learn about our value systems.
With the advent of social media and the absolutely stunning role its played in shaping modern-day human behavior, human beings have more ways to connect with people than ever before. Because of this, the places we share physical space with others and have IRL conversations have become even more important (and valuable real estate) than they were even 15 years ago.
As brands and retailers recognize the significance of this they are being called to:
reimagine retail not only as a place of transaction (or even experience) but as a conduit for social interaction and change.
Building community in retail does not just happen by turning stores into event sites, test kitchens, ambient cafes, or service-based centers for engagement. It’s more than the incorporation of multi-sensorial displays, DIY customization stations, and feature walls created for content generation or “selfie spots.” Building authentic community is about owning your individuality as a brand, understanding what differentiates your brand from others, and creating a tribe around those outliers.
It’s less about doing, and more about being what you already are.
Every brand stands for something, even if that something doesn’t fit the typical “purpose-driven” model many companies focus on today. A brand’s purpose is simply what they believe most strongly in - the highest message or impression they wish to leave with the world at the end of the day. For some, this could be humor or a no B.S. culture. For others, it could be obsessive attention to detail or a commitment to be the best outfitter for the burliest outdoorsmen out there.
A purpose does not have to be grandiose, but it does have to be genuine.
True community is built through shared voice - through brands listening to their shoppers, responding, and contributing back to the conversation. As retail designers, it’s our job to find and extract the larger narrative that binds shopper to brand and use that knowledge to provide shoppers with opportunities to explore, express, and reinforce their value-sets within yet another context - retail.
How does this create an atmosphere where “brand aficionados” feel at home?
With or without the inclusion of literal community-building elements (such as hosting weekly events), community can be subconsciously created through making smart design decisions related to every facet of the store experience - from paint color and materials, messaging and merchandising, music selection and inventory management. Every square inch of the space should be able to answer the question: How does this decision support my brand’s purpose?
The opportunities are there, we just have to be willing to look outside of the typical system in order to find that inspiration.
