Retail destinations and retailers need to learn how best to tap into consumer’s lifestyles and their attitudes towards “fast and slow” personal time according to Lara Marrero, principal and global retail leader at international design agency Gensler.
Marrero is speaking on Thursday at RPA’s annual iGen event.
Research by Gensler has revealed that 49% of shopping missions are focused on what she calls “fast time”, where shoppers are driven solely by efficiency. “This is the spend that has been massively hit by digital,” she said. “And in an effort to increase dwell time many retailers have created more complicated layouts and use less signposting, which makes it harder for people to simply get in and out.”
However, the other 51% of shopping missions are “slow time”, where people are prepared to invest their time, providing they see the value to them of what is on offer.
“The important thing here is that people feel that they are getting something out of the experience, something special, and that gives them a reason to visit a place,” she said. “A lot of that requires retailers and developers to put themselves in the shoppers’ shoes and remember that we are talking about people, not just consumers, here.”
Marrero believes that taking this more nuanced approach means that destinations can engage with visitors through social initiatives, encourage discovery and create aspiration among consumers.
“For discovery I use the red lipstick example,” she said. “To get the right shade you need to try the tones, so you know what you want but to get the right product you need to test it out. That’s where retailers like Sephora and the beauty counters at department stores do so well, because you can’t do that online. And for aspiration, brands are in the ideal position to entertain and engage, because a great brand should stand for something.”
