THE LATEST TREND IN STORE DESIGN: TRY THE UNTRIED, BE OPEN TO INNOVATION! RETAIL AND VISUAL MERCHANDISING DESIGN CONSULTANT, MSGSÜ CONTINUING EDUCATION CENTER
We are living through a period unlike anything anyone alive today has experienced—or even imagined—since March of this year. Everyone I ask says they have been affected the most, and yes, they are all right. The food, textile, automotive, stationery, and nearly every other sector has faced, is facing, and will continue to face its share of challenges for some time.So, what has the stationery sector—especially one closely intertwined with education—done during this period in retail? As far as I know and have been able to follow, those who were financially strong made preparations, invested for the times when schools would reopen, and added new products to their range. Some simply tried to survive, while others left the sector altogether.You already have all the evaluations and statistics on this matter, so I won’t repeat them. Instead, I would like to make an assessment from another perspective that goes beyond statistics—that is, from the consumer’s point of view.
First of all, as a university lecturer, I miss being able to shop for stationery freely and at length so much. Especially with my students who are studying in various fields of design, we truly miss losing ourselves among paints, pens, all kinds of papers, notebooks, and bags. These days will pass, and we will all reunite with the materials we long for…
Now, I would like to take you into the future by combining my experiences in both visual design and the retail sector. In this article, I want to talk about a few of the most important concepts in retail and the stationery store concept I foresee after this period.The first concept we need to understand is “EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING.” Today, customers who can find the same products at very similar prices in every stationery store now prefer to shop at places where they experience something different, enjoy the shopping process, and remember it with pleasure. Especially younger customers—the consumers of the future—definitely choose stores where they can have unique emotions and experiences.In a stationery shopping experience, customers want a smooth journey that includes selecting the product, purchasing, payment, packaging, and after-sales services. They like to interact almost like friends with sales staff who can answer their questions and guide them correctly, and they appreciate being remembered during their next visit.
The shopping experience is influenced not only by the in-store experience but also by brand advertisements of the products in the stationery store, social media interactions, and even the flood of advertisements and information coming from online stores. To make our customers feel valued in our store, to make their purchasing journey unforgettable, and to offer a holistic experience at every touchpoint with the products, we need to create a carefully planned visual presentation and a map of experiential areas.
How? Very simple. Within your stationery store, create mini areas where your customers can experience personalized interactions tailored to their interests at every stage of their purchasing journey. Make a difference!!!
So, how can you create this difference? Let me explain with a few examples. For instance;
- Some designers use only pastel colors—wouldn’t a display tailored specifically for them be wonderful?
- Some of our middle-aged customers still enjoy creating printed photo albums, with product designs tailored to them…
Can’t we organize a workshop for creating custom photo albums? - Some children could listen to a part of the children’s books they are going to buy from the best storyteller in your stationery store…
dinlese güzel olmaz mı? - We all love products we can make ourselves, because while creating them, we personalize them with a small touch of our own design and imagination,
making them unique. It becomes something that belongs only to us. This is actually a new kind of luxury. We have the luxury of designing our own products, and being able to have such things without paying exorbitant prices—wouldn’t that make customers happy? What more could you ask for? That’s another reason to be preferred.
Based on these unique examples I have provided to inspire you;
- You can consider organizing activities in your stationery store where your customers can enjoy using the products.
- By organizing different events in your stationery store, create opportunities for your customers to share common interests and hobbies—sometimes with their friends, sometimes with people they meet during the event. For example, you could set up a ceramic painting workshop at the entrance area of your store, right?
- Sometimes even companies that want to promote their products may approach you with different event ideas. At the very least, listen to these ideas—implementing some of them might make you unforgettable.
- Sometimes we all want to treat ourselves, and we don’t need to spend a lot of money for it. Even a simple sugared almond can do the trick, or a pen with our name written on it. So why don’t you create a corner for your customers called “TREAT YOURSELF CORNER” and come up with different ideas to offer them there?I remember that during one of my stationery tours before the pandemic, I bought myself a notebook with the name PINAR written on it. Then I looked for the names of all my family members and bought the ones I could find. Everyone loved those little notebooks.
- You can either spread all of these throughout different sections of your stationery store or create a completely separate area at the entrance. You can plan accordingly based on what the size of your store allows.
Finally, I would like to draw attention to a very important issue; as a visual merchandising designer, taking photos inside stores used to be quite difficult for me… I struggled the most in Italy—whenever I tried to take photos in stores, large security guards would immediately come up to me and say, “It’s forbidden!”But once “selfies” became popular, this issue disappeared. Now we take photos everywhere, and in fact, if stores use this as an opportunity, they can create the most effective advertising.
Why don’t you create a “Selfie” area in your stationery store? Cover a column with mirrors, place your store’s logos on it, surround it with various products, and let your customers take “selfies” while using those products. If they wish, you can also take their photos for them—why not? Both they and you can share these on social media; what a delightful experience… Trust is the foundation of the experiences we value!!!
Your customers should trust the quality of the products they purchase from your stationery store, but most importantly, they should trust you. They should believe that they can have innovative, different, and unique experiences in your store, and even the taste of these experiences…
…should always linger with them. Remember, in this difficult world, people want to be wherever they find joy… in other words, they want to both shop and have fun. There is even a term for this in the world: Retail – Entertainment = Retailtainment. So then, let’s say Retail – Entertainment = Retailtainment (*the naming rights are mine 🙂).
Lecturer Pınar SALMAN