Innovative Customer Experience in NYC

Best customer experience in retail

Customer Experience matters and today more than ever before. But many companies are too big to change, or too slow to adapt. The latest “Retail Apocalypse” news is about SEARS, the iconic American retailer, going bankruptcy.

Retailers will shrink their physical footprints while transforming their stores in brandships. Many think that using tablets, AR/VR, smart fitting rooms, …, is the way to enhance shopping experience while their shop assistants forget to say “hello” and smile. Physical stores reinvention is again, not only about technology, but a “joint venture” between people, processes, hardwares/softwares and channels.

There is an urgent need to reinvent in-store experience

Transforming square meters into a museum or theatre is a way to evangelize customers when brands are dying. Brands need to develop a consistent end-to-end story: the customer journey.

Some brands are already doing a great job (e.g. Steve Madde, Neiman Marcus, Rebecca Minkoff), while are connecting online and offline thru technology. But Fashtech is just an enabler (AI for product curation, AV for product presentation, Omnichannel loyalty programs…), and telling an emotional story aligned to customer expectations (sustainability, transparency, visibility, seamless experience, community engagement) is the real goal.

Another interesting trend that impacts customer experience is scent marketing. For example, in october 2018, Aroma360 has partnered with Italian fashion brand Brunello Cuccinelli to develop their signature scent that will enhance the customer experience in brick-and-mortar stores throughout the world.

Best innovative customer experiences in NYC| The Store of the Future

These are some stores I visited recently in NYC that are outstanding in terms of customer experience.

ABC CARPET & HOME (FLATIRON)

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ADIDAS (MIDTOWN EAST)

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TIMBERLAND (HERALD SQUARE) @Wayne Pelletier

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BARNEYS NEW YORK

3rd-floor-mens-rtw-2-scott-frances

 

LULULEMON Meditation Studio

Lululemon Meditation Studio Customer Experience

 

NESPRESSO (SOHO)

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POLO RALPH LAUREN (MIDTOWN EAST)

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REBECCA MINKOFF (SOHO)

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SONOS (SOHO)

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THE NORTH FACE (MIDTOWN)

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ALIFE (Rivington Street)

Alife Store NYC Customer Experience Fashion Retail

 

KITH (SOHO)

Kith Soho fashion streetwear store customer experience

 

STORY (CHELSEA)

Story Store NYC Fashion Retail Customer Experience

 

EVERLANE (NOLITA)

Everlane Store Fashion Retail Customer Experience

 

DOVER STREET MARKET 

Dover Street Market Customer Experience Storytelling Fashion Museum Pop-Store NYC

 

MM. LaFleur

MMLaFleur Showroom in NYC Customer Experience in Fashion Retail

 

OPENING CEREMONY

Opening Ceremony NYC retail experience fashion

 

Nike House of Innovation 000

Nike Customer Experience Innovation 000 Store of the future in New York City Fashion Retail

Nike recently opened its new flagship store in NYC called Nike House of Innovation 000. Apart from selling the wider shoes assortment of the brand, the store embraces technology and digitalization (Swoosh customization, QR codes,  instant checkout, pickup area, Sneakerlab…).

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Nike By You Made-To-Order Atelier at the Expert Studio

 

L´Occitane en Provence (555, 5th Avenue)

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22 responses to “Innovative Customer Experience in NYC”

  1. […] customer experience, the storytelling, the inspiration, the business is nurtured by talent. Today, […]

  2. […] of the store is evolving and going beyond sales transactions (See a list of stores with the best customer experience in New York). Stores can have different roles like flagship, brandship, showroom, fulfillment center, pop-up […]

  3. […] a world where customers are 100% connected 24 hours a day, physical stores have deliver a different customer experience than the online one. A place to discover, try, touch, smell, learn, teach and interact with more […]

  4. […] fashion business is not so rational because it´s also aspirational and customers are looking for experience and socialization. But there are many things that we can get from grocery stores. A clear example […]

  5. […] article about Innovative Customer Experience in NYC, commented about what stores where excelling at customer experience and why. In this case, Bonprix […]

  6. […] But in retail, there is a big opportunity to open smaller stores with localized assortments. This is what we described in Nike by Melrose new store format, a curated store. Stores that renew their assortment every week/month according to what the customer, in the area, is looking for (offline and online). And then, of course, large flagships in highstreet presenting a wide and deep assortment for online customers that want to “experience” the collection. This is the case of Nike House of Innovation 000. […]

  7. […] my opinion, experience means telling the 360º story of the product to the customer. It´s not about in-store […]

  8. […] Experience (multi-sensory, blend ingredients, explore, create. Attend to workshops) […]

  9. […] the cities where we can see more innovations in regards retail and this is what was illustrated in best stores to visit in NY. The brands and stores included are going beyond their core selling product and are presenting […]

  10. […] the cities where we can see more innovations in regards retail and this is what was illustrated in best stores to visit in NY. The brands and stores included are going beyond their core selling product and are presenting […]

  11. […] TFR: What are the main challenges fashion companies are facing in regards of customer experience? […]

  12. […] a totally different approach to the customer and the way products and services are delivered. Customer experience demands the reinvention of product display and information (traceability and transparency), […]

  13. […] purpose as many customers won´t feel safe trying clothes on or waiting time in lines. Customer experience is central to digital transformation and even more during the Covid-19 context where online and […]

  14. […] prioritizing experiences over tangible products. They want to feel the adrenaline but without ties, and the sharing economy […]

  15. […] social values and sustainability). A story means emotion. Millennials love store telling + story living. The challenge is how to engage with them, […]

  16. […] business is not so rational because it’s also aspirational and customers are looking for experience and socialization. But there are many things that we can get from grocery stores. A clear example […]

  17. […] conditions. I’m meeting retailers that are planning to “transform” their in-store experience and brick-and-mortar […]

  18. […] TFR: What are the main challenges fashion companies are facing in regards of customer experience? […]

  19. […] a world where customers are 100% connected 24 hours a day, physical stores have deliver a different customer experience than the online one. A place to discover, try, touch, smell, learn, teach and interact with more […]

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