{"id":10621,"date":"2020-02-21T13:19:34","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T18:19:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.brainstation.io\/?p=10621"},"modified":"2020-05-21T12:24:01","modified_gmt":"2020-05-21T16:24:01","slug":"how-is-ux-design-impacting-retail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/how-is-ux-design-impacting-retail","title":{"rendered":"How is UX Design Impacting Retail?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we talk about user experience (UX) in the context of shopping, we usually refer to the digital sphere, where UX Designers help to ideate, test, tweak and optimize every element of websites, apps and other products to ensure users will have the best-possible end-to-end eCommerce experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the same principles that have made UX Design such a crucial part in online shopping \u2013 that good design puts people first, blends eye-catching esthetics with an unwavering commitment to usability, and is backed by rigorous research and testing \u2013 are having a transformative effect on brick-and-mortar retail, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth pointing out just how important that is. U.S. Census data showed that eCommerce sales comprised 11.2 percent of total sales in the third quarter of 2019. So while eCommerce continues to take on a larger role in the overall retail landscape, it\u2019s clear the vast majority of purchases are still being made in person at physical stores.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe reality is, the store is still the foundation of retailing,\u201d observed BRP, a retail management consultancy, in its\u00a02019 Special Report: The Future Store. \u201cIt is where the tactile and sensory experience comes together for the consumer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And companies adopting UX principles for all customer interactions \u2013 online or otherwise \u2013 are thriving; research by SAP, Siegel+Gale and Shift Thinking found that today\u2019s top brands treat their customers as users, not buyers.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, the world\u2019s top companies are getting quite creative in how they apply UX design concepts to optimize the experience of the people coming through their stores. Read on for a few of the ways UX has impacted retail.<\/span><\/p>\n

Invasion of the Pop-Ups<\/b><\/h3>\n

Although we\u2019ve pointed out that most shoppers are still making purchases in person, a store\u2019s online presence is still crucial. Data <\/span>shows<\/span> that 63 percent of shopping occasions begin online, but the lines between the experience of shopping online and in-person are getting blurrier and blurrier as companies focus more attention on user experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One example of how that\u2019s manifested? More online retailers are pushing to establish physical spaces, if even for a short time in the form of pop-ups.<\/span><\/p>\n

Digital retailers like M.Gemi, Casper, and Allbirds have used pop-ups to introduce new products, to allow potential customers an up-close look at their products, and to generally create buzz and real-world visibility for their brands. Beauty startup Glossier has gone all-in on pop-ups, generating major media attention last year with six-to-eight week stints in cities including London, Seattle, and Miami. Clothing retailer Everlane, meanwhile, opened a few physical stores that don\u2019t actually hold any stock so that potential customers could try on their wares before completing their purchase online (with free shipping).<\/span><\/p>\n

Online retailers that open brick-and-mortar locations report a five- to eight-fold increase in sales. But more than that, they also help to establish a relationship with customers and help potential buyers get a better feel for their products.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStores serve as showrooms that drive customers online,\u201d <\/span>wrote<\/span><\/a> Steven Dennis in a Forbes op-ed warning Wall Street firms against closing too many physical stores. \u201cStores serve as fulfillment points for eCommerce operations. Stores are billboards for a retail brand.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond online retailers looking to establish a physical presence \u2013 and perhaps a closer relationship with customers \u2013 the pop-up is also being used by established brands to lure shoppers in with one-of-a-kind experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Muji opened a pop-up apartment in London to introduce its new home and clothing collections, inviting customers to masterclass workshops on topics including storage, Japanese beauty tutorials, and Instagram photography, while in New York the brand offered up a DIY essential oil bar and an embroidery service.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Well-established department stores, meanwhile, are increasingly bringing customers back by partnering with in-demand brands for splashy pop-ups. The first four floors of Bloomingdale\u2019s locations in New York, L.A. and San Francisco feature the Carousel, a 1,500-square-foot \u201cpop-in\u201d with fresh designs and merchandise produced every two months.<\/span><\/p>\n

These pop-ups rarely just offer products; they instead try to bring other experiential benefits to not just bring customers through their doors, but also create a deeper connection to their brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our big focuses is to create these ever-changing and very exciting elements to continue to drive customers to our stores,\u201d <\/span>said<\/span><\/a> Justin Berkowitz, Men\u2019s Fashion Director for Bloomingdale\u2019s. \u201cI really think that for the future of retail, (it\u2019s important to make) brick-and-mortar a place where the customer really wants to come.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Using VR and AR to Improve the Shopping Experience\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s at least one advantage brick-and-mortar stores have that can\u2019t be replicated on the web or your phone: the opportunity to showcase innovative new tech installations.<\/span><\/p>\n

And many companies are understandably rushing to load their flagship stores with innovative new tools that most shoppers have likely never seen before.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the tech isn\u2019t just about wowing guests with cool gimmicks \u2013 in fact, it\u2019s all oriented around providing the best possible user experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, how many of us really enjoy the process of dragging piles of clothing back to a cramped changeroom to see what fits? Well, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, and Selfridges have all partnered with 3D-body-scanning companies to help customers find the right fit without the changeroom headaches. A customer can get scanned in-store and the software then compares the measurements with the exact dimensions of the clothes on offer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Retailers are doing impressive things with augmented reality, too. Consider Ikea Place, an augmented reality app that allows shoppers to choose one of the furniture giant\u2019s colorfully named products and drop it into their own home to see how it looks before buying.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Adidas, meanwhile, used AR to deepen the connection between its customers and its products. The shoe company\u2019s Parley collection of shoes is made from plastic trash collected from remote beaches and coastal communities. The company installed AR displays in its retail stores that \u2013 with a snap of a photo from a customer \u2013 would physically show how the shoes on the shelf in front of them were created from recycled materials.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conscientious shoe brand TOMS used virtual reality to similarly help customers to understand the brand\u2019s social impact. The company\u2019s 360-degree Virtual Giving Trip lets potential customers see the impact of TOMS\u2019 one-for-one business model by allowing them to virtually travel around the world and experience first-hand what it\u2019s like to give a pair of TOMS shoes to a child in need.<\/span><\/p>\n