Assignment 2 for the Venture Lab

1. A Crash Course in Creativity
Assignment 2 – Are You Paying Attention?

2.  Go to at least 6 different stores. They can be at the
same shopping center or different locations. Spend
at least 15 minutes in each store making
OBSERVATIONS using the lab guide for reference.
Take photos to capture your observations.
 Create a presentation that captures your INSIGHTS
and HIDDEN OPPORTUNITIES. What types of things
had you missed before? What were your biggest
surprises? Are there opportunities hidden in plain
sight?

3.  Strengths
◦ High volume of stores available
◦ Numerous verticals to explore
 Issues
◦ Six stores presents a massive amount of floor space and
merchandise
◦ Prohibited from taking photos in several retail stores
 Solution
◦ Focus on the façade and entryway

4. I reviewed the following environments

5.  Many of the stores have moved
to a glass façade with the
internal merchandise visible. It
felt warmer because you could
see what you were going to get
into.
 Here you see two different
approaches
◦ Whole Foods (WF) was more
enticing with seasonal and sale
items outside to invite you in
◦ Apple has a very open and empty
front space to encourage you to
walk in as far as possible before
even demonstrating a product

6. • Once inside these two stores,
the approach was significantly
different. Likely based on the
difference in product
• Apple is all about touch, play
and stay as long as you’d like
• WF is setup more for the impulse
buy as merchandise is at every
eye level and stuffed in each
nook and cranny you look at

7.  Banana Republic took an
approach I thought
resembled the Apple
store. It’s inviting to come
in, but the merchandise is
deeper in the store.
Almost a dare to see how
far you’ll walk for their
items. The lack of
merchandise up front
surprised me.
You have to walk this far
just to touch sale product

8.  MAC Cosmetics was a
beautiful storefront
with well placed
sightlines into their
products and demo
stations
• The details in the design
elements made the place
feel like a higher class
experience. Details like
the floor and demo seats
made it feel like an
upscale salon

9.  Zumiez and Brookstone took
an approach of “the more
inventory the better”
 I was so overwhelmed and
lost standing in the doorways
that I didn’t even want to
venture in
 They could use more
organization and cleanliness
in the first impression of
their stores