design:retail - September/October 2019 - 28

EXPERIENCE

DESIGN:RETAIL

SEPT/OCT 2019

PERSPECTIVES

Retail with Feeling
(and Hearing and
Seeing...)
MULTISENSORY EXPERIENCE DESIGN
CREATES LAYERS OF RETAIL THAT
TOUCH ON ALL FIVE SENSES
ARI PERALTA
➞ IT'S NO SECRET that retailers who are actively explor-

CEO & FOUNDER

ing the sensorial aspects of customer experience
have managed to survive and thrive.
While sensory experiences exist almost everywhere in your retail environment, many design
aspects remain incongruent. As our consumption
continues to pivot more toward experiences rather
than products, retailers have a unique opportunity
to discover new ways to meet the ever-changing
needs of their customers, using all the senses.
Multisensory Experience Design (MXD) is a new
approach that can enhance your brand's appeal.
Sensory branding is not a new concept, but
most retailers and agencies have approached this
strategy using an archaic checklist approach.
Thanks to the innovative work of a handful of labs
from around the world, multisensory science has
evolved exponentially.
We are constantly taking in new sensory information, which, in turn, shapes our perception of
everything around us. Most retailers aren't aware
that multisensory science is relatively new. In fact,
most of what we practice and preach within retail
consists of regurgitated unisensory studies. Many of
these studies predate neuroscience and biometric
capture technologies, which has led to a gap in our
understanding of how the senses work altogether.
"Up until 2001, most scientists disagreed on how
the brain takes in sensory input and whether or
not that process happens simultaneously," says
Professor Ladan Shams, director of UCLA Multisensory Perception Lab.
Thanks to the advances in research technologies,
we are now able to measure and capture multiple
sensory modalities happening at once. Most consultancies and agencies that work with retailers
lack the scientific insight to make a sensory impact
that can actually transform customers interest.
Many retailers are adopting various new technologies in hopes to lure customers in and continue

ARIGAMI

"business as usual." It's important to note that
retailers must first look from within and ensure
that their infrastructure has the tools to support
these changes. Sensory technologies are no exception. With the rise in experiential managers and
experiential directors, we feel it's the right time to
recommend new positions that can help retailers
align and quantify its experiential investments.
"For some reason, most retailers and brands are
procuring new sensory solutions blindly," says
sound architect Tom Middleton, who has spent
decades refining how brands and industries
approach sound and music.
Recent studies confirm that experiential engagements have become stagnant, not because of any
lack in investment or creativity, but because its
design and strategy are focused mostly on single
activations rather than an ongoing branding strategy. This practice has led many retailers down a
shortcut of quick gimmicks and wide use of pseudoscience efforts that are later watered down by
their own marketing departments. Executing an
experience that touches on each sense can be quite
a challenge, but the rewards are undeniable.
Brands like Gucci and adidas have dominated
sales charts, despite changes in consumer preferences, because they are creating a new wave of
physically visceral narratives. Customers don't
want to just walk into your shop, buy your product and leave, because thanks to the internet, they
can do this from the comfort of their own home. As
consumers seek out more experiences, the design
process demands more from creatives than ever

before. MXD offers creatives and storytellers new
layers to unfold with engagement. These can be
subtle sensory inclusions, but must be congruent
and able to synchronize with the retailer's space
layout, the products themselves and act in harmony
with the consumer's environmental mindset.
We understand the complex nature of retail
and appreciate the efforts made on all fronts of its
operations. With new sensory technology options
popping up on a daily basis, it can be overwhelming to any one brand or retailer scoping out options
that are both feasible and viable. Despite the KPIs
that guide retailers' decisions, few metrics exist on
how to measure the effectiveness of many of these
new sensory technologies.
Implementing MXD strategies provides retailers the reassurance needed to reinvest in the best
fit technologies. Retail management and designers have to consider multiple sensory modalities
during the design process that can be supported by
several methods and tools (both quantitative and
qualitative). Retailers' goals should always embody
optimization. How to optimize current assets with
the new technological acquisitions while analyzing
new data streams that can help increase customers'
perceptual pleasure.
The senses themselves are not a one size fits all, yet
many of the best practices outlined in this article can
provide a substantial difference to retailers of all sizes.
Adding a restaurant is not enough. Adding physical
and creative single activations is also not enough. Approach this next phase in retail, plus product design,
holistically and results will manifest with an increase
in consumer confidence. This paired with sensory
management and staff training can lead to substantial growth while remaining true to customers and
directly synchronized with the products or services
your retail organization provides.
➞ B I O Innovator and serial entrepreneur ARI PERALTA has worked
across multiple media disciplines in both large and small firms, and
co-founded a nationally ranked medical clinic in the United States. With
organizational leadership, multisensory research and experiential design
as his core skill, Peralta leads a strategic coalition of globally ranked scientists and sensory delivery technology firms. He dedicates much of his
time speaking to university students, government officials and technology
professionals promoting multisensory science and interdisciplinary teamwork. See him speak at design:retail Forum, Sept. 11-13 in Nashville, Tenn.

design:retail - September/October 2019

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