design:retail - May/June 2020 - 24

SPECIAL REPORT

What will the future of reimagined retail look like in a postpandemic world? We asked some of the retail design industry's
leading design firms to share their predictions and insights, to help
you navigate the unchartered journey ahead.

A NEW HIEARCHY OF NEEDS
EMILY ALBRIGHT MILLER
VICE PRESIDENT - STRATEGY
BIG RED ROOSTER,
A JLL COMPANY
"WER'RE LIVING IN unprecedented times." Consultants,
our clients and their customers hear this every day.
It's certainly true-but what does this mean for
what's next?
Evolving-soon, in the re-entry period and,
ultimately, as we reimagine retail-starts with a deep
understanding of how consumer behaviors have
changed. Never before has there been a catalyst for
such unprecedented behavioral change at this scale.
It generally takes two months to create a new habit. By
my count, it's going to be at least that long before many
of us return to any semblance of "normalcy." We will
not emerge from this the same.
One of the most fundamental shifts we've observed
to date has to do with basic motivations of human
behavior. Until this point, for the majority of consumers, their physiological needs were being met. Getting
enough food, water, warmth, rest and, yes, toilet paper,
too. They felt relatively safe and secure going about their
daily lives. Instead of environments, assortments and
communications that fulfill these functional needs,
some brands and retailers were focused on inspiring
consumers to achieve their full potential-delivering on
the upper-most tier of Maslow's hierarchy.

Pre-pandemic growth was strong for brands like
Nike, whose positioning inspires the "athlete in all
of us," and Samsung, which empowers a new generation of "makers, directors and creators." They were
homed in on portraying who their customers aspire
to be, fulfilling their need for self-actualization. And
then COVID-19 came along. As consumers struggle to
adapt to life sheltering in place, Maslow's pyramid has
seemingly flipped.
Brands must now tailor their strategies closer
to the hierarchy's former base-appealing to consumers' sense of security, safety and physiological
well-being. The motivation to fulfill such needs

becomes stronger the longer they are deprived-the
longer a person goes without food, the hungrier
they will become. Brands and retailers who understand where their customers feel deficient-on
things like personal space and human touch-
are rewarded.
In a recent, mid-pandemic survey conducted
by Big Red Rooster, more than 90 percent of consumers said they feel brands should make some
or significant change to their physical environment, service strategy AND communications in
light of the coronavirus. NINETY PERCENT. The
range and types of adaptations needed will vary,
but the need to deliver on these
new customer behaviors cannot
be overstated.
Retailers, especially those most
impacted by discretionary spending, are going to need a total mindset
shift. While some consumers might
snap back quickly as we re-enter
"normal," the majority has heightened expectations and new salient
needs. We must find ways to pivot,
prioritizing assurance over actualization, and comfort over creativity,
while encouraging them to confidently shop in physical stores once
again. In a recessionary environment,
a reorientation of your business to
these new consumer realities is the
first step to rebuilding.

design:retail - May/June 2020

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