DDi - March 2011 - (Page 18)

18 | Greentailing Going local F or retailers in search of sustainable design strategies, one of the easiest ways to minimize environmental harm, ensure economic viability and attract a devoted customer base is by going local. But what exactly does “going local” mean? The phrase is incredibly multifaceted, encompassing food origin, economic stability, business development, community identity, cultural conservation and environmental sustainability. And it offers tremendous opportunity, as it is possibly the best at combining both positive environmental impact and relevant consumer experiences. There are two primary ways to anchor a store within its community. The first is to pull from the community’s resources, history and lifestyle, and allow the building design and décor to reflect them in ways that resonate with consumers. Undoubtedly, you’ve read about Starbucks’ intentionally unbranded local concept—named after their location, the stores implement innovative material sourcing and usage strategies, which include reclaimed, salvaged, reused and repurposed materials. At its 1st and Pike store, for example, a stunning wall treatment is nothing more than coffee bags taken from a nearby roasting plant and stitched together. A similar example is a new Whole Foods Market store in San Francisco’s Haight community—collages made with vinyl records and info-graphics reference famous musicians who hailed from the Haight Ashbury district’s thriving music scene during the ’60s. In Huntington Beach, Calif., the lifestyle shifts to surfing and skateboarding. There, the retailer engaged local artists to create unique graphic communication and store décor inspired by the community’s action sports heritage. While these may be extreme examples, every community has its own resources and history, all waiting to be explored. Beyond what each community offers, there are businesses actively engaged in creating new building products that can further enhance and authenticate the local integrity of stores. The second approach to anchoring a store is to give back, to become an active member by participating in the life of the community beyond the walls of the building. One example is an effort by the women’s clothing chain maurices to create a music story for its brand. In partnership with PlayNetwork and Sonicbids, maurices enlisted its Kevin O’Donnell own customers and music fans to create the authentic music story and choose, through fan voting, the artist to represent the brand. Launched in 2010, Small Town Sound is a music and artist promotional campaign that aims to find the best undiscovered, femalefronted band in the country. The effort has cultivated community engagement by leveraging social media, branded microsites, live performances and in-store events, resulting in artist partnerships and producing exclusive content and music. At this year’s GlobalShop (March 28-30 in Las Vegas), the conference session “Localizing Retail: Going Beyond One-SizeFits-All” will explore how some of today’s best-known brands are developing sustainable, meaningful, memorable and authentic experiences for their customers. Please join me and my fellow panelists, Gabrielle Rosi with Whole Foods Market, and David Curtis with Starbucks Coffee Co., on Monday, March 28 at 1:30 p.m. (visit www.globalshop.org to register). See you there! —Kevin O’Donnell is the founder of thread collaborative, a design and consulting studio. He researches and develops sustainable retail design strategies. Contact him at kevin@threadcollaborative.com. | March 2011 www.ddionline.com http://www.globalshop.org http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - March 2011

DDi - March 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Greentailing
Editor's Choice
Design Snapshot: Kusmi
Design Snapshot: Avril
Channel Focus: Toy Store
Longo’s
Brown Thomas
11 Retail Trends for 2011
Bloomingdale’s
The Exchange
Lola
White Castle
Design Leaders 2011
GlobalShop
Show Coverage
Right Light
In-Store Technology
Product Spotlight
Classifieds
Calendar
Advertisers
Shopping With Paco

DDi - March 2011