Commercial Architecture June 2019 - 6

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DEPARTMENT

| the architects

Online Retail
Converts Clicks
To Bricks
Online retailers are realizing
that brick-and-mortar shopping
experiences are a crucial part of the
overall sales formula.
Chad Kovaleski, PLA, ASLA, LandDesign

etail isn't dying, it's evolving. Before the internet and Amazon dominated the retail industry,
there was the catalog. The catalog disrupted

Brick-and-mortar shopping experiences increase online traffic an average of 45%.

the retail industry, giving consumers the ability to shop
from the comfort of their recliners. Today's disruptor is

ucts before making a purchase. They need to have a vis-

ence to retail places and environments. Online retailers

the internet, which paved the way for online-only retail-

ceral connection to their brand experience, which helps

need to accomplish this outside of the virtual realm, to

ers to become trusted and well-known brands in a high-

justify the purchase and their love for the product.

create a one-of-a-kind shopping experience in real life.

ly competitive marketplace. Even though the internet

Online brands are limited in how they create virtual

The same hype that retailers so effectively produce

transformed the way many consumers purchase goods,

connections with shoppers. Knowing they need to fos-

online must be felt just as powerfully in their physical

the catalog didn't kill retail, and neither will the internet.

ter emotional connections, many digitally native brands

retail experience. Take the beauty retailer Glossier, for

Here's why.

are getting back to the basics of retail. They're opening

example: Its iconic pink-covered online presence and

brick-and-mortar storefronts for reasons as varied as their

ethical beauty products have supported the brand's

brand expressions.

loyal following. When the beauty brand opened its

CLICKS TO BRICKS

As consumers became familiar with Amazon Prime and

The impact is deep. Commercial-development con-

flagship store in New York City in 2017, the storefront

two-day delivery, the need for brick-and-mortar store-

sultant JLL, Chicago (us.jll.com) estimates that digitally

had to evoke the same feeling it created virtually.

fronts seemed to fade away. Retailers, no longer limited

native brands will open 850 physical stores in the next

Shoppers flocked to Glossier's pop-up to see the brand

by physical presence, could reach thousands of consum-

five years. In the context of what some claim is a "retail

come to life.

ers through digital marketplaces and social media.

apocalypse," online retailers making the shift from digi-

It makes sense. Consumers enjoy experiencing a

Online brands have taken advantage of the internet's

tal to physical space seems unlikely or even questionable.

brand firsthand, to recall the online vibe, and take

power to create brand loyalty through social media. Dig-

In reality, however, online retailers establishing physical

advantage of an "Instagrammable" storefront or a

itally native brands, such as eyeglass manufacturer War-

footholds is a valuable, proven way to increase brand

"tweetable" purchase. For Glossier, its initial success

by Parker, beauty brand Glossier, and mattress retailer

awareness and enhance online performance. According

is expected to contribute to its continued growing of

Casper, use Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to generate

to a study by the International Council of Shopping

a physical retail presence over the next year or more.

brand awareness and repeat purchases. Leading online

Centers (ICSC), New York (icsc.org), opening a physical

E-commerce is transforming retail. Those who adapt

retailers create deep, personal connections with custom-

storefront helps consumers not only put a face to their

are succeeding in the virtual and architectural realms.

ers, a factor that is becoming more vital in retail success.

brands but also increases online traffic an average of

The proof is there, and it's ending the widespread,

Yet there's still clearly a place for the store, and the

45%. Occupying virtual and brick-and-mortar space is

recent panic about stores. Remember: If the catalog

internet plays a role in retail's physical renaissance. The

a win-win for online retailers. Loyal customers rush to

couldn't kill the storefront, neither will the internet. CA

reason is that, as e-commerce draws attention from con-

experience the digital brand and a new group of con-

sumers, the need for physical presence becomes more cru-

sumers discovers the brand and products in person, with

Chad Kovaleski, PLA, ASLA, and principal and landscape architect

cial as people seek experiences in place of home delivery.

many later visiting the digital platform for the first time.

with LandDesign, Charlotte, NC (landesign.com), offers a deep

Those experiences now drive how architects, planners,

expertise in retail and other market sectors. He has more than a

and landscape architects create great places for shopping.

NEW RETAIL ANCHORS

In other words, the movement is from clicks to bricks.

For architects and designers, the big challenge becomes

mixed-use, resort, and hospitality developments, to waterfront plan-

how online retailers translate their digital brand experi-

ning, multifamily, and commercial developments.

Most of all, people want to touch, see, and feel prod6

JUNE 2019

COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T UREM AG A ZINE.COM

decade of design experience with projects ranging from large-scale

http://us.jll.com http://www.icsc.org http://www.landesign.com

Commercial Architecture June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Architecture June 2019