The document provides impressions and insights from visiting different retail stores, including Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Champs, Finish Line, Apple, and Macy's. It analyzes the store layouts, product displays, staff attentiveness, and overall shopping experiences. Opportunities for improvement are identified, such as reducing clutter, improving staff training, and creating a more cohesive brand experience.

1. Crash Course on Creativity
Professor Tina Seelig, Stanford Venture Labs
Assignment 2
Mala Sarat Chandra
October 28, 2012
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2. Mala Sarat Chandra 2

3. Rustic Homey Warm
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4. Opportunities
Insights Reduce clutter.
The store is too cluttered. Improve store navigation.
Although everything is arranged by Offer examples to guide customers
function (window through the store experience.
accessories, candles, table linen) the Make custom design services a
layout is not obvious. distinctive place in the store.
Custom design is offered but it’s Make clear the advantages of custom
unclear that it is. services.
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5. Mala Sarat Chandra 5

6. Urban Modern Cool
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7. Insights
Large, well-lit store, invites exploration.
Color scheme and themes are coordinated and distinct.
Seasonal items standout from everyday items.
Advice on how to use products are provided clearly in each section.
Items on sale are displayed tastefully alongside those that are not.
40 pleasant, knowledgeable sales people are available in the store to
attend to every need instantly.
Opportunities
The furniture department appeared rather more crowded than the
general home accessories department.
The bright lights tended to overpower the furniture. Varying lighting
arrangements by room type would have made it easier to imagine the
furniture in a home setting.
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8. Mala Sarat Chandra 8

9. Basic
Cluttered
Wall of Shoes
Racks of Clothes
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10. Insights:
A basic store could still provide a pleasant shopping experience. Too many
uncoordinated colors and textures. The floor was too cluttered for comfort.
Opportunities:
More sales people per store is essential.
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11. Mala Sarat Chandra 11

12. Basic
Less Cluttered
Wall of Shoes
Racks of Clothes Mala Sarat Chandra 12

13. Insights:
A basic store
could still
provide a
pleasant
shopping Opportunities:
experience. More sales people
per store is
Too many essential.
uncoordinated
colors and
textures. The
floor was too
cluttered for
comfort.
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14. Mala Sarat Chandra 14

15. Open
Minimalist
Product focused
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16. Insights: Opportunities:
Boring colors – the brown Carry forward Apple’s
floor, pine wood table product color schemes of
finish, bright blue displays white and black with
did not live up to the design splashes of color to improve
Apple is so famous for. store appearance.
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17. Mala Sarat Chandra 17

18. Red White Boring
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19. Insights: Opportunities:
Too old school. Tired
So many!
design.
Start with the store
Sales people not
design – color
motivated to help.
schemes, themes, layo
Only die-hard, long-
ut.
time customers can
navigate the store
Train staff to be
successfully.
pleasant, courteous, h
elpful.
Perhaps prices are
what attract
Act as if customers
customers. I would
matter!
rather shop Macy’s
online than visit the
store.
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20. Impressions
Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel try hard to
create a welcoming ambience. Distinctive.
Informative. Encourage exploration.
Friendly, attentive staff, there to help when
needed. Security is unobtrusive.
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21. Impressions
Champs and Finish Line had similar ambience.
Basic, functional, walls of shoes and racks of
clothes. Champs was cluttered, Finish Line less
so but not by much. No attention from staff
even after 10 minutes of “browsing” in the
store. Getting staff attention was difficult – not
enough of them. Waited awhile for staff to bring
me shoes to try on. Long wait line at the
checkout counter.
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22. Impressions
Open, minimalist, uncluttered. Not crowded for
a change. Large tables with products on display.
Customers encouraged to browse, interact with
and compare product configurations online.
Knowledgeable, attentive, helpful staff. Bright
blue shirts make them easy to spot. Store
security not easy to see.
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23. Impressions
Macy’s don’t seem focused on customers. Cold.
Unappealing. No unifying theme. Hard to
navigate. Too cluttered to explore. Products
either clustered by designer (Kate
Spade, Martha Stewart) or type
(Kitchenware, Coffee, Towels). Unhelpful staff.
Security is obvious.
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