Christina Wezwick
National Marketing Manager
Dallas/Ft. Worth Headquarters
New York is a city of retail. Brands tend to set up shop in New York City long before expanding to other regions of the country and new trends often begin there as well. New Yorkers have the luxury of being exposed to new concepts, fashions, and food trends several seasons before the rest of us. We haven’t even gotten our first cronut store where I’m from.
One trend that is increasing across many retail categories is that of experiential retailing. Brought on by the need for brick-and-mortar retailers to combat the onslaught of internet sales, experiential retailing changes the in-store experience from an everyday, routine trip to something exciting and memorable. This approach can work to make shopping more enjoyable so that the customer will spend more time and money in the store.
I had a chance to visit this glorious city and experience this trend for a very brief trip recently and was so excited to check out the retail. SuperDry, Uniqlo, Pret-A-Manger, Warby Parker, and Century 21 were all brands that I had read about but never had the chance to experience. Here they were, right outside my hotel. But, I have to admit it was the lure of the Times Square retail that got the wheels turning in my head. After all, almost all of these brands were familiar; they were not new to me. So what was it about these locations that were so enticing?
I wandered into the four-story Forever21 out of necessity. I had chosen the wrong pair of shoes to wear bar hopping the night before and knew I would need something more comfortable for the remaining nights. I headed out to find something useful, yet inexpensive. Forever21 fit the bill. One thing I did learn, they must have a sharp merchandising team. The shoes were on the bottom floor, meaning I had to pass by every single other floor of merchandise before I got to what I needed. Certainly this was no coincidence. What I noticed as I descended further down into the belly of the store was a huge variety of items. The men’s and plus-sized clothing lines had the largest variety I had ever seen, while the specialty brands like Love21 were noticeably represented as well. Large areas were dedicated to accessories and lingerie. Trendy rock, indie, and pop music was playing on every floor and a funky little photo booth for you to take snapshots with your shopping buddies was prominently placed near the escalators. There was plenty to keep you interested and engaged, a key to keeping shoppers in the store.
The situation was similar over at H&M. This three level store boasted large men’s and baby/kid’s departments, both of which you don’t always see in a smaller footprint location. But what really intrigued me were the extras they had set in place to keep you interested. H&M had a live DJ positioned on the second floor spinning specialized mixes of new and old popular songs. Then, H&M turned the fitting rooms into a live runway with a simulated catwalk situated nearby to allow you to “model” the clothes you were trying on while strutting and mugging for the camera. Videos of various customer “fashion shows” played on large LED screens inside the store, and I’m told they play outside as well. Everywhere you looked there was something new to see.
Though I did not get the opportunity to visit American Eagle, they had an eye-catching social media campaign displaying on the outside of their store. Visitors could snap selfies in front of a designated backdrop and use a custom hashtag to tweet about their visit to the store. These tweets, along with a campaign for their Aerie lingerie line, were scrolling by all night long on large LED screens outside of the store. From the quickly changing tweets, to the lingerie clad models, it was hard not to be drawn to the glowing American Eagle storefront.
Even the more traditional stores that didn’t employ the use of a lot of social media were getting in on the “experience retail” act. I was out early enough one morning to witness the opening of two stores, the Disney Store, and the M&M store. While the Disney store employees were throwing glittered confetti and cheering as excited kids marched into the store, the M&M Store was dealing with a crowd that looked like they might push down the doors. They, too, were clapping and cheering as they welcomed the customers inside.
One thing is certain when it comes to retail in a decidedly touristy part of New York City; they know how to make you want to shop by providing experiences you won’t get anywhere else. They take something visitors are comfortable with and add another level of flash to it. All of the glitz and sparkle of Times Square oozes from these retail stores, and you know what is the hardest to admit? It worked on this tourist.
Christina is on the national marketing team in Dallas. She by no means is an expert on New York City retail and only gives her perspective as a visitor to the magnificent city.