One of the best barometers of retail design significance lies within organisations’ retail industry growth plans. Judging from the perspectives revealed by leading UK CEOs at the 2016 British Retail Consortium Retail Symposium, retail design is gaining viral traction as a crucial growth tool. Design Clarity UK business development manager attended the symposium and heard first-hand how integral retail design is to high street retailers’ industry growth plans across the UK.
UK high street retailers are certainly shooting for the stars in their industry growth plans. Retail design is being used as a foundation for such significant growth. Take Hobbycraft for example. With an ambitious goal to grow from 85 to 200 stores, design takes centre stage in its strategy. Customer-centricity lies at the heart of Hobbycraft’s planning. Building its customer experience based on comprehensive knowledge of that customer has led Hobbycraft to invest sizeably in its technological capabilities. Mobile tills and online verticals are all part of the ultimate goal to supercharge international expansion.
Interestingly Hobbycraft’s focus on thoroughly understanding its target consumer aligns seamlessly with Design Clarity’s approach. In this way, retail design can be tailored to relate and add value on a direct personal level to the desired end consumer. Every retailer has its own unique target customer profile. The power lies in treating every project as a blank canvas that is brought to life by an in depth knowledge of the end consumer.
Hobbycraft is by no means the only UK retailer to adopt the strategy that Design Clarity already knows supercharges retail design. High street retailer Hobbs has undertaken a comprehensive customer psychographic profiling initiative. The findings are set to form the basis of a customer loyalty program that targets customers’ personal mindsets rather than lifestyle demographics.
At the end of the day, successful retail delivers a fulfilling personal experience rather than merely a personal purchase. Design Clarity has long implemented retail design targeted to unique consumer profiles on a personal level. Now UK high street retail is following suit. So sit back and watch the power of personalised retail design go to work.
