Traditional Brick and Mortar has been under siege by online retailers at an ever quicken pace over the past decade. Despite only accounting for 11.9% of all retail sales worldwide in 2018, giants such as Amazon keep forcing brick and mortar retailers to reduce locations or close shop completely.
During the past 20+ years, the rise and dominance of superstores and warehouse stores created an impersonal, sterile, and uninspiring retail setting that made it easy for customers to opt for a purely online experience from the comfort of their home. Many retailers are now bucking the online trend and investing millions in creating immersive experiences for their customers and giving them new reasons to come into their stores.
Lessons from Industry Innovators
Apple
No surprise here. Apple has always seemed to be many steps ahead of the entire marketplace when it comes to competing for the hearts and wallets of customers. This is especially true with an experiential retail experience that sets the standard for the entire retail sector.
Customers entering the clean and bright storefronts are welcomed by a large team of employees buzzing around answering questions and demonstrating every product that Apple offers. Customers can make an appointment at the Genius Bar to get one-on-one assistance from an expert to help them with technical or customer service issues. In-store how-to clinics help the technology-challenged to make their everyday lives more convenient and connected.
Restoration Hardware
Restoration Hardware is another industry leader who is one of the earlier innovators of immersive experiential retail. While they have always had beautiful showrooms that inspired, the experience they have created at their flagship gallery locations around the country set a completely new standard.
Many of these are set in historic buildings that have been sitting empty for decades. Their Three Arts Club in Chicago is a prime example. Beautifully restored to its original grandeur, this three level structure includes a courtyard, galleries and rooftop patios. Visitors can wander around and linger or sit anywhere and enjoy inspired culinary creations and hospitality. And of course, everything you see throughout can be purchased as well.
“This is a space where people come to imagine their life…what does my home look and feel like.”
-Gary Friedman, Restoration Hardware CEO
Nordstrom’s Manhattan Men’s Store
Nordstrom has always been known for their personalized customer service in a retail sector that generally treats clothing like commodities and customers like cattle. For years now they have been offering personal shoppers and concierge-level services to build customer loyalty and enhance the customer journey.
Combining their longstanding commitment to customer service with new advances in technology is helping to keep Nordstrom near the top of the class. They recently opened a new men’s store in the heart of Manhattan at a time when others are closing brick and mortar locations in favor of online sales.
The store offers easy online order pick-ups/returns and an interactive mobile app to have items pulled into a dressing room in advance. Open 24/7 with local same day delivery, this new store design also includes cafes, clubhouse bar and barbershop.
What could an amazing experiential retail experience look like for customers in the paint industry?
Homeowners choosing paint colors may not seem as exciting as the three examples cited above, but these titans of industry demonstrate some proven strategies for creating an experiential retail experience for customers buying paint.
In all of these examples the companies have combined a strong online presence while creating a reason for customers to come into their stores. Largely unchanged for decades, local paint retailers can know leverage the same strategies and technology tools employed by global enterprises.
About PaintPass
Are you ready to combine your commitment to providing the best customer service in your store with the latest technology? Just like you, we are all about paint. That is why we built PaintPass specifically for our industry sector. Contact us to find out how our team can take your customer’s experiences with your brand to the next level. Contact us today!
Looking for tips to keep your online presence relevant, grow your online paint sales and reach more customers? Check out our other blog posts.