Maximizing your Image through State of the Art Retail Window Design
Retail stores serve as an important tool for marketing a retail brand to consumers. Advancements in technology have created trends that come and go at a quicker pace and faster consumer learning curves for Chinese consumers. Excellent design needs to reflect the needs of the Chinese market now in order to drive sales.
Key Goals of Retail Design
Retail design starts with a concept that achieves key goals for the brand. While specific goals vary for brands, there four key design goals that should be kept in mind for retailers which include:
– Brand story
– Attractive retail window displays
– Retail experience
– Technology integration
When combined into retail design, achievement enables retailers to successfully increase brand awareness and sales.
From the Outside In
Attractive window displays play an important role in marketing for brands. The first impression for consumers is the retail window display of products. Window displays have to be attractive, enticing, and occasionally interactive. The design goal of a window display is to attract customers and lead them into the store. Window displays should also tie to the brand story of the company and its products.
“Retail Displays”, Image Source: TIME
A strong example of retail window display design in China is the German athletic brand, Adidas. This retailer has a strong brand presence in top tier one cities in China. They also have the largest flagship store in Asia located in Beijing China. Their four story location in Sanlitun features striking window displays that are changed periodically depending on the season or products they want to promote.
“Adidas Flagship Store in Sanlitun”, Image Source: imondi
Last October, they created an impactful design for the upcoming Beijing Marathon to promote a new line of running shoes.
Adidas Store, Beijing, Image Source: 5 Star Plus Retail Design
Their most recent display highlights their new line of ‘boost’ shoes. A key product feature is the comfort sole that gives the wearer a ‘cloudlike’ feeling. To show this in the display they adapted a cartoon-like cloud often seen in Children’s stories in China. The use of LED displays and dynamic lighting help to attract attention, create excitement, and connect to consumers on a deeper level, leading them into the store.
Adidas Store, Beijing, Image Source: 5 Star Plus Retail Design
Shanghai has a number of Adidas locations throughout the city that are much smaller than the flagship store in Beijing. These stores specialize in specific products and take on a window display that connects to this.
Adidas Store, Shanghai, Image Source: 5 Star Plus Retail Design
Their location on the popular tourist street, East Nanjing Lu, features products mainly seen as part of leisure wear. The smaller window space is maximized by highlighting key products in attractive displays and utilizes the logo design in the entryway to draw the eye to a featured product inside the store. This display leads the passerby into the store to see the product more closely.
Adidas Store, Shanghai, Image Source: 5 Star Plus Retail Design
Another location in Shanghai’s Jing ’an district focuses specifically on two styles of shoes for running and basketball. Each side of the store features a specialized window display that relates to the products themselves. For the running side, a map of Shanghai along with bright LED lighting that reads ‘Boost Shanghai’ draws attention to the various products and mannequins on display wearing Adidas products. The main entryway also features a map-like wall where different running shoes are displayed below a slogan that reads ‘boost your run.’
Adidas Store, Shanghai, Image Source: 5 Star Plus Retail Design
The other side of the store is centered towards basketball and features mannequins playing basketball in front of a basketball court shaped LED screen. The screen shows different videos that highlight product features and shows some popular NBA players in China wearing Adidas products on the court.
Adidas Store, Shanghai, Image Source: 5 Star Plus Retail Design
Excellent Retail Window Display Design Enhanices Retail Strategy
Retail stores serve as an important marketing tool for retail brands. Effective retail window display design is just one element that helps to achieve the design goals of a retail store. The strategic role of window display design is to attract customers into the store while also exposing them to the brand’s identity. Thoughtful planning and design creates consumer interests that will enhance the overall retail strategy ultimately increasing sales.
This blog post was originally published by Melchers’ Retail Partner 5 Star Plus Retail Design, an interior design company specializing in the branded design of retail stores and restaurants. The original post can be found here.
