Ride the Storm: Navigating Through Unstable Periods / Katerina Rudko (Belka G...
Beyond Retail Insider (February 2014)
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must-see stores, trends, insights
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R E TA I L I N S I D E R
PRO JECT
The boutiquisation
of shopping centres
– Brent Cross Mall 5
N E W S TO R E
P R O JEC T
I N S I GH T S
Dior brings its first
standalone beauty
store to Covent Garden
The Dressing Room’s
brand refresh turns heads
on the high street
What technology means
for retail in 2014
I N S I GH T S
Explore the story of one
of the UK’s greatest fashion
muses and mentors:
Isabella Blow
TRE N D
R E PORT
OPULENT INTERIO RS
INSI G HT S
P R O JEC T
Discover this year’s
hottest innovation
exhibition
BeautyMART’s
pop-up in Box Park
Shoreditch
UNIT 3, RYLETT STUDIOS, 77 RYLETT CRESCENT,LONDON, W12 9RP T: +44 (0) 20 8811 1714
E: INFO@BEYOND-COMMUNICATIONS.CO.UK
02/2014
2. HOME
INSIGHTS
R E TA I L T E C H N O L O G Y
FOR 2014
Big data, robotics,
mobile & augmented
reality to get ahead
New technologies are shaping consumer behaviour more than ever
before, and retailers need to get up to speed to create compelling
brand experiences.
Here we look at key technology trends: big data, robotics, mobile and
augmented reality – looking at how retailers are harnessing these to stay
ahead of the game in 2014.
Conversation is king
Big data may hold the key to securing competitive advantage, but
only if it’s used to serve consumers better. Whether you’re sending
information or promotions, customers now expect these to be
accurate and relevant to their individual needs, creating a two-way
exchange and fostering brand loyalty.
Selfridges hits the spot by delivering customised content based on
purchases, but encouraging dialogue by asking consumers to further
personalise their preferences, delivering tailor-made information
straight to their inboxes. Delightful tone of voice touches such as
‘lust-have accessories’ helps customers get to know the brand, and
create an emotional connection.
Robots get real
Honda’s Asimo has come a long way since
falling down stairs in 2006, and can now
be found working as a tour guide at Japan’s
National Museum of Emerging Science and
Innovation. Whilst he is still facing gesture
recognition problems, there is no denying
that robotics have advanced exponentially
over the last decade.
Robots are already being widely used in
retail to speed up the functional aspects of
shopping through automated checkouts and
the automated delivery of goods. However,
2014 is the year that robots will connect with
customers’ emotional needs too.
Hointer is already flying ahead of the curve, and combining mobile and robot technology
to combat the old adage that “men don’t like to shop”. Indeed, their customers can now
use a mobile app to order items direct to the fitting room, speeding up the shopping
process and adding a little wow factor that turns shopping into a fun, engaging experience.
3. HOME
INSIGHTS
R E TA I L T E C H N O L O G Y
FOR 2014
Augmented reality
Tesco has been quick to embrace augmented
reality, launching ‘Magic Mirrors’ and digital
mannequins for its F&F clothes store range, and
Debenhams is following closely behind with an
augmented reality app – both stores keen to
capitalise on the growing virtual changing room
trend. And Modiface’s beauty mirror means this
trend will be extending to beauty retailers too
– with customers being able to try on make-up
with minimal fuss and mess.
Apple has capitalised
on this trend with the
launch of IBeacon
Innovate, smartly
The key to success for retailers is making sure
they balance low-tech and high-tech. In the
rush to go digital we could easily miss out on
how consumers actually want to engage. Take
make-up for example. Whilst it is fun to play
Mobile vs showrooming
around with new looks in a digital world, this
We all know mobile is fast becoming customers’ device of choice along all points
is such a personal purchase that customers
of the shopping journey, and with UK retail sales via mobile devices reaching
will ultimately want to touch and play with the
£7.5bn last year, retailers need to respond with so much more than a
product itself, and check it really works for
mobile-friendly website.
their skin.
Apple has capitalised on this trend with the launch of IBeacon, a technology that
Overall, technology does provide huge
enables retailers to provide relevant offers and information to customers based on
opportunities, but flexibility is key when
their instore location. By turning a passive viewing experience into an information
embarking on a new venture. The buying
exchange, IBeacon could be a powerful tool for retailers to capture customers’
experience is changing so radically
attention and transform showrooming from a threat into a sales opportunity.
year-on-year that new platforms need to
be readily extendable and updateable,
or retailers could find their investments
rapidly becoming out of date.
Sources
Jobling, A. (2013) Retail Technology: ways to get ahead in 2014, WGSN Westlake, S. (2014) The year robots get real, Nesta
Jobling, A (2014) 2014: CES Innovations, WGSN Bacon, J (2014) Mobile microtargeting, Marketing Week
Try on make-up
with minimal fuss
& mess
4. HOME
PROJEC TS
THE DRESSING ROOM
The Dressing Room has made its name by combining
handpicked brands from across the globe with a friendly and
expert service, both in its hometown of St Albans and reaching
a wider audience online.
The brand needed a lift to reflect this premium offer and stand
out against the high street competition.
Beyond worked with The Dressing Room to bring a
sophisticated touch to the store’s iconic pink bags, whilst
PROJEC TS
still maintaining its boutique personality.
BE AUT YMART
The new look was so enthusiastically received that it sparked
The pop-up concept has long since been employed in various
– all celebrated at a fantastic re-launch party.
retail sectors to inject the shopping process with a sense of
exclusivity and excitement. Shoppers continue to seek fun and
new experiences from the typical shopping journey – this is
an opportunity upon which beauty brands can capitalise, by
bringing a sense of refreshing energy to their traditional in-store
retail.
Pop-ups can allow cosmetics brands to create new spatial
experiences in non-typical store venues and even allow crossbrand collaboration.
Beyond has recently worked with Beauty Mart to develop the
Box Park Perma pop-up, which has proved a hit with a hip East
London audience.
a refresh for the entire shop interior, exterior and website
With five drapers awards now firmly under its belt (including
‘Inspiring independents 2013’), The Dressing Room is without
a doubt one of the biggest success stories of UK boutiques.
WI NNER
Inspiring
independents
2013
5. HOME
PROJEC TS
T H E B O U T I Q U I S AT I O N
OF SHOPPING CENTRES
Mall 5 at Brent Cross has been given a sparkling
transformation through a rich and contemporary
makeover by Beyond.
Four spectacular chandeliers, each with 7500 hand
polished crystals, now hang above luxurious seating.
Walnut veneer adorns the walls and bulkheads, whilst
further contemporary ceilings with multiple circular
illuminated discs mark the entrances to this plush
relaxation area.
The old 1970’s floor patterns have been stripped away
PROJEC TS
oppressive car park lobbies have been lightened with
DIOR BE AUT Y BOUTIQUE
white tiles and white columns.
It seems Covent Garden is set to be London’s new luxury beauty
to be replaced with cool white marble and the previously
We wanted to give customers a place to slow down and
relax, and we felt this boutique-style, indulgent makeover
would be a perfect fit for the newly upgraded premium
Mall 5. Customer experience drives footfall after all.
destination – joining the likes of Chanel and Aesop is the brand new
Dior beauty boutique, the fashion house’s first standalone beauty
store in Britain.
The store boasts exclusive products including the limited edition
Covent Garden houndstooth eyeshadow palette alongside its standard,
world-renowned make up, beauty and fragrance ranges. Make up services
and lash/nail bars up the ante, making the boutique as much a salon
as it is a shop.
The store’s interior is a luxurious journey through the cool sensual finishes
of the fragrance bar to the opulent dark make-up bars – both of which
offer full consultation services. Worth a visit, if only to marvel at the handbag
display made of hundreds of Dior’s best-selling lipstick: Darling.
6. HOME
IN SIGHTS
NEW STORES
FE S T I VA L O F
I M A G I N AT I O N S E L F R I D G E S
1 6 TH J A N U A R Y – F O R 6 W E E K S
N E X T- G E N R E TA I L
Selfridges kick-started 2014 with the launch of the ‘Festival of Imagination’
and augmented reality technology. The complete range of real watches is also on display
– a series of events, lectures, installations and projects showcasing the role of
to buy after you ‘try’. Other items on sale range from 3D glasses, to a headband allowing
imagination in creativity. We couldn’t wait to head down, and here’s what we saw:
you to control games through thought alone. If that wasn’t enough there are 3D printed
The Imagine Shop combines a collection of 3D printed work with augmented reality in
a hands-on customer experience all about technology. We loved the Dezeen Watchstore
where customers can try on watches from the collection using just a paper wristband
high heels and even a 3D printed full size ping-pong table. Although the latter will set
you back £20,000, the £300 million Blohm + Voss Jazz superyacht steals the show
IN SIGHTS
– it is the biggest and most expensive item ever sold at Selfridges. By pointing a device
IMMERSIVE
R E TA I L
at a marker the size of a dining table, customers can explore the 90m yacht in the palm
To celebrate the first appearance of
his collection at London Collections:
Men, Gareth Pugh teamed Inition, to
create a virtual reality, multi-sensory
experience where customers can explore
the inspiration for the collection, all from
the comfort of a changing room-style
cubical. The user puts on an angular head
dress and is immediately submerged into
a 3D experience; fast moving shapes,
landscapes and walls complete with
a soundtrack. This installation is a great
example of the current shift towards a
more immersive experience design
and retail experience driven by
customer expectations.
Store images: Gareth Pugh by WGSN, Imagine shop by Andrew Meredith
of their hand. Complete with people on board, the yacht bobs up and down in the
augmented reality sea, making the mind wonder what further technological advances
2014 holds.
7. HOME
dark opulent
tones, flaunting
black mattes and
glosses
TREND
TREND
OPULENT
INTERIORS
We continue into winter 2014 with a colour trend of dark
opulent tones, flaunting black mattes and glosses. It is a
colour story that fuses rich luxury with fantasy and nature
and is consistently popping up in and around the retail
and beauty industries. Rich blacks and charcoal greys
bring textural and surface interest to products, and are
complimented by pops of colour such as shades of plum,
blues, and violet. Classically romantic themes surrounding
craftsmanship, luxury and the pursuit of beauty are updated
with a contemporary sharpness enabled by technology.
It’s a modern take on artistic and emotional fantasy.
Store images: BFC Shop by Storey studio / Selfridges London Source: Andrew Meredith via WGSN
8. HOME
A tempestuous
love affair
INSIGHT
I S A B EL L A B LOW:
FA S H I O N G A L O R E ! S O M E R S E T H O U S E
20 November 2013 – 2 March 2014
This month we went to Somerset House to explore the story of one of the UK’s
greatest fashion muses and mentors: Isabella Blow.
The exhibition is a biography in clothes: with 100 outfits from the Blow archive,
charting her success in turning young designers Alexander McQueen
and Philip Treacy into global fashion phenomena.
Fashion was quite clearly a tempestuous love affair for Isabella Blow, reminding
us that it is an art form in itself – and that most importantly, as her used Givenchy
mules will attest – it is made to be enjoyed and worn.
