Venture Lab A Crash Course on Creativity

1. PAYING ATTENTION
by Oxana Tormashova

2. Stores
For this Laboratory work I selected seven stores that sell clothing,
electronics, cosmetics, toys and sports shoes.
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3. Observations
Imaginarium and Disney: toy stores
Location: Target Audience:
At the same shopping centre Children of all ages and
near each other their parents
Both shops are competitors. But both have slightly different approaches
to selling their products that depends on their objectives.
One is trying to attract firstly children (doors of the original design,
bright colors), and then impress the parents by offering products that are
not only entertaining but also educating. It is brightly lit, a sort of cosy,
the staff dressed in bright uniform. There are lots of low shelves with toys
children can take and try it. This shop attracts mostly children that are
younger because of it's creative approach to design.
Second shop is meant to sell products of the well-known brand. It has
a more grown-up design and attracts older children and parents who
are looking for presents. The staff is more serious and has more professional
look.
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4. Observations
Foot Locker: athletic shoes and accessories
Target Audience: Youth from 12 to 30, mostly males
This shop has a very grabbing attention design that is aimed to
attract youth. There are bright color scheme, bright sport uniform
of the staff, people in the staff are very young – about 18, specific music
and lots of products on display.
To convince customer to buy a product, there are lot of discounts,
that you can see it on the price tags as soon as you enter the store.
Everything described does archive the goal of attracting young people.
But according to my observations persons older than Foot Locker's target
audience tend to feel slightly uncomfortable in the environment
and prefer to visit first other shops.
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5. Observations
H&M and Bershka: clothing stores
Location: Target Audience:
At the same shopping centre H&M: all ages and genders
Bershka: youth from 15 to 25
H&M positions itself as a respectable company that try to offer the best
combination of price, quality and fashion. And the shop design
(shop windows, ceilings and floor, demonstrations etc. ) is aiming to
create an impression of professionalism and modernity. The color scheme
is moderate and comfortable. The staff is professional, attentive and helpful.
Good but not very bright lighting. Quiet modern pop music on the
background. Products are grouped by function and price. And the price
tags are well visible.
Bershka provides more “wild” impression. Their design is more
liberated and defiant. The music is louder and the products are grouped
not only by function but also by fashion collection it belongs to.
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6. Observations
Miro: electronics and informatics
Target Audience: Adults of all ages
This shop attracts you by it's brightly lit environment and wide
open doors. It is very sparse and the color scheme are light,
the price tags are easy noticeable and there are lots of discount advertising.
The staff is represented mostly by males of middle-age in suits,
who are very attentive but not intrusive.
Everything is aimed to create a impression of professionalism
and quality. These kind of shops are a lot more conservative in their design.
And the major of their customers already have an idea of what they
want to buy. So the main objective of the shop is to convince the buyer that
here he would find the best solution.
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7. Observations
Bodybell: perfume and cosmetics
Target Audience: People from 18 to 40, mostly women
This shop is brightly lit and crowded with shelves with products
on display. It attracts your attention by presenting famous brands
inside the shop windows. There is a light music on the background.
And the staff consists of young women in stylish uniform.
The products are arranged by brands and function. In order to find
something of less famous and less expensive brand you have to go through
the whole store to the far wall stands. The price tags are not visible from
the start but you do can find it easily. There are lots of free samples
for the customers.
The store has male's section but mostly is oriented on women.
And women do tend to spend quite a time there.
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8. Observations. Conclusion
It was very interesting and informative to observe how different
companies try to attract customers to their store. I never before thought
about reasons of displaying products in a specific order or how the environment
can affect customer's desire to buy in a specific store.
There are some interesting ideas like Imaginarium with its creative approach
to door's design and H&M and how they skilfully use and maintain the reputation
of the company that offers the best price / quality ratio .
In my opinion many companies lack the more creative approach to their clients
needs. For example Disney's can attract more customers by creating some kind of
playground for younger children, where they can try some of the toys on selling.
Or Bodybell can offer their clients a free consult with a professional visagist
or beautician. Miro store is very similar to a garage sale, which in my opinion
is not very attractive to a customer. For example, instead of arranging all
products along the walls they can use round stands in the center of the store
and place on them the most demandable products like cell-phones or players etc.
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9. The most important thing I learned from this lab was that you can
find and learn wonderful things by simply paying more attention to the
world outside you habitual route. So the conclusion is:
Pay attention!
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