design:retail - May/June 2020 - 28

constant feedback loops from your employees and
customers on ways that the business can improve
the experience.
Immediate safety measures should be implemented, policies communicated and rigorous visible
cleaning methods put in practice to keep your store
clean and customers coming back. Distancing rules
should continue to be respected, and masks should be
worn as required by jurisdiction. While we aren't able
to predict how long safety measures should be implemented, we already know these will vary amongst
states and cities. It is clear that consumer confidence
is going to be more important than ever and will be
won with small, localized, brand hygiene measures,
like redefining the service approach, in-store touchless amenities, contactless delivery or curbside pickup.
Design Strategies
Taking into consideration customers' new needs, as
well as addressing their emotional concerns and physical demands for a safe and functional retail space, will
necessitate a new design experience for customers.
The pandemic has taken both an emotional and economic toll around the world, and brands need to strike
a balance in their tone when offering new experiences
and welcoming customers into their spaces. Brands
that focus on creating a better, more efficient and safer
experience will be successful in the long term.
An effective circulation and site plan are essential in
maximizing store space to create an ease for customers in navigating and shopping without the friction of
being concerned about safety. We know touchless
solutions are effective and are going to be a worthwhile investment long term. Retailers should work
with their store planning and design teams to explore
every customer touchpoint and evaluate how new
confidence-building experiences can be created.
It will take innovation and, in some cases, a change
or evolution in business and buying processes to
help us get through this. Will stores retain curbside
pickup? How does that experience play into the customer journey? We know the first step is to solve for
the safety and security of our customers and employees. Whether it's integrating tech sensors, automated
doors or adapting to forms of mobile payment or digital experience design, these touchless solutions will
become part of a new retail language moving forward
and encourage new behaviors to emerge.
There is no "one-size-fits-all" solution for the retail industry. We have seen the F&B industry turn on
a dime from dine-in to takeaway, demand spikes for
grocery and home goods, and the fashion industry
fabricating masks for first responders. Retailers will
continue to look at their business model to determine
the best and highest use of resources. Bespoke customer experiences will be sought after just as much
as they have always been, with safety at the forefront.

STORYTELLING FROM THE
OUTSIDE IN
SOCIAL CREATURES
MIKE RIGGS
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF RETAIL
IA INTERIOR ARCHITECTS
RON SINGLER
RETAIL DESIGN DIRECTOR
IA INTERIOR ARCHITECTS
IN 2020 , "stay safe at home" has become part of the
world's lexicon. Staying inside and avoiding others is
a genuinely painful and isolating experience for many.
On the other hand, if they're out in public at all, being
even within 6 ft. of another person can provoke a lot
of anxiety. What this means for the future of the retail
industry is all still speculative, but the main question
is: will we be so sick of isolation that our fear of others
and their germs will fade, or will it stay with us, and
what are the permanent implications?
While this is an extraordinary time, the behaviors
of consumers and the brands they are already loyal to
will not be inherently changed by this infectious disease. The fact that we are hardwired to be social and
that this need is as basic as food and water (read "Why
We Are Wired to Connect" by Gareth Cook, Scientific
American), means the fear of losing our ability to connect far outweighs the risks associated with getting
infected. Just ask the spring breakers in Florida.
Our behaviors can be affected by choice, so above
all else, this is an opportunity for brands to choose, or
continue to choose, an ethos of compassion, authenticity and giving back. Doing the right thing can make
all the difference.
A crisis can create new opportunities and serve as
a stimulus for change. Brands that are agile, highly
adaptive and already viewed positively by consumers will be more successful navigating these times, no
matter what the long-term consequences of the pandemic may turn out to be.
Apart from the obvious of providing easy and
quick access to products and services, brands should
emphasize safe and secure environments, mindful
messaging, clear and personalized guidance and consultation, and authentic altruism. Brands that already
manifest these behaviors will survive our current disruption and flourish once a level of normalcy returns.
We are social creatures, but the type of creature (or
brand) is really up to us.

MELISSA GONZALEZ
CEO
THE LIONESQUE GROUP
PRINCIPAL
MG2
IN OUR POST-PANDEMIC WORLD, a world with an unknown
timeline, I foresee an interesting conundrum-a society
where the generational gap for technology adoption has
shrunken while the fatigue toward always being connected to a device has heightened. Short term, there
will be a burst of pent-up demand, a desire for outside
life, a thirst for human interaction and IRL experiences.
However, the expectation for convenience, efficiency
and seamless fulfilment will be more demanding than
before. Brands and retailers will need to think more
holistically about their store spaces and see them with a
360-degree perspective.
Storytelling will know no channels. It will be a fluid
continuum whether online or offline.
In the physical world, the point of first engagement will no longer be at the front door, but rather at
the parking lot where signage will need to be warm,
welcoming, engaging and instructive. It will be a point
of impression and will set the tone for the shopping
experience ahead. Storefront windows will be multipurpose and will need to be able to flex between a
place for storytelling and a point of fulfillment powering BOSS (buy online, ship to store) and BOPIS (buy
online pickup in-store). Interior planning will take a
more upward trajectory, harnessing the opportunities
to use walls and ceilings to create more immersive
experiences per square foot that are less reliant on
touch. Color psychology and retail therapy will be
more closely intertwined as the injection of color
will be more widely infused to elicit energy and boost
moods and positive emotions into spaces. Modular
wall systems that fluidly allow brands and retailers to
flex space as needed will be more critical in creating
adaptive environments as front-of-house requirements and back-of-house logistics ebb and flow with
consumer demand.
Post-COVID-19, designers, brands and retailers will
be forced to push the boundaries we once knew. We
will need to think beyond omnichannel and think of
one seamless channel. Experiences that are successful
will need to do more than inspire a good Instagram
background, but rather be in service to our customers by planning holistically from the online to offline
journey, evoking positive emotions and powering a
seamless transaction at the same time.

design:retail - May/June 2020

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