design:retail - March 2014 - (Page 44)

perspectives 044 Man of the House PHIL LOOKER HEAD OF RETAIL DESIGN HOUSE OF FRASER "I believe stores will have to provide a seamless link to the online experience." -PHIL LOOKER, HOUSE OF FRASER P RIVATELY OWNED House of Fraser is the third-largest U.K. department store chain, operating 61 stores with annual turnover of $2 billion. After a few sluggish years, its relatively recent investment in online has helped make this past Christmas its best ever, with same-store sales up 7.3 percent, online up 57.7 percent and private label up 22.8 percent. We sat down with Phil Looker, head of retail design, to ﬁnd out his take on the merging of bricks and mortar with online. material ﬁnishes can't move at the same pace without huge disruption. With many stores in excess of 100,000 sq. ft., the cost to refurbish mechanical and technical services, ﬂooring, lighting and building structure is a challenge. d:r: What has online experience taught you about bricks and mortar? Looker: I think the main surprise has been that both can co-exist, and it's exceptionally helpful to have both. Five years ago, there was still an undercurrent of online fear in retail, that online would kill the store. But, in fact, it's done completely the opposite. The presence of online has meant that instead of brand partners refusing to stock smaller stores, it has allowed them through "buy and collect" to "virtually" stock every store and to deliver to those stores through regular replenishment deliveries. The stores, in many instances, have thus seen an increase in footfall- the challenge now is to engage those customers when they come in. design:retail: How has the attitude toward retail changed in the last 15 years? Looker: Service, time and accessibility. With respect to customer service, not knowing about the product is no longer good enough-especially in department stores. Time has now become inﬁnitely more managed when shopping. The increased number of shopper access points has made the option of researching, even the phenomenon of ordering and collecting in-store, a time-considered purchase. Consciously allocating less time to shop thus raises the need for increased awareness of the value of service. d:r: What is the internal view of the role of the designer and customer experience? Looker: Design is essentially the ability to present and deliver an environment in which a range of products can be successfully merchandised and sold. How that's visually translated is the designer's role to inﬂuence through store design, lighting, materials, fixtures and displays. All these components combined should enhance the customer journey and underpin an individual brand's look and feel. Cost is hugely important, however, as the level of premium brands MARCH 2014 DESIGNRETAILONLINE.COM increases within the store group, our materials and application of materials has had to evolve, especially in flagship stores, to align with increasingly more premium ﬁnishes. d:r: Where does the tension exist internally around store design, and how does it get resolved? Looker: Finances and brand DNA are the greatest cause of debate. While your brand moves inexorably in a better service-led direction, with increased means to market and improved brand environments, the underlying structure and general d:r: How do you think store design will change over the coming years? Looker: I believe stores will have to provide a seamless link to the online experience. To have all these brands at their ﬁngertips, and not be able to fulﬁll product inquiries, will not be acceptable. I'd imagine the growth in Genius Bar-style portals within stores to bridge Web-based inquiries will increase to support personalizing the experience. I also see the advancement of data being used to support virtual recommendations around brand collections, creating almost personalized collections for customers. On the other hand, I see stores slowing down their pacing and creating hubs of calm dedicated to allowing customers more time directly with products. - Robert Hocking http://www.DESIGNRETAILONLINE.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of design:retail - March 2014

design:retail - March 2014
Contents
Editor's Note
Show Talk
On Trend
We Love This!
Designer Picks
Innovation
Postcard
Before & After
How'd They Do That?
Have You Heard?
Perspectives
The Visual Eye
Searhing for Steve Jobs
2014 Markopoulos Award
Come & Play
McDonald's
Starbucks
Beyman
Hointer
Smart Tech
Retail
Design Leaders Listings
GlobalShop 2014: The Ultimate Show Guide
Products
Backstory

design:retail - March 2014