Retail Stars Blog Series - Community

By having a physical store, whether it’s on a high street, in a retail park or just in a small village, it allows people to come together. This is a major advantage over websites and apps; a strength that companies should use to bring the community together.

My short blog will focus on three key themes as part of the Retail Stars blog series; well-being, diversity & inclusivity and local events. (Please see the introduction blog from 25th October by Michael Mowat for more information on the Retail Stars blog series)

Wellbeing

Well-being is buzzing right now. Everybody’s talking about it. It encompasses four main factors; mental, physical, emotional and spiritual. 

So who are the retail stars in this space? A retailer that springs to my mind is Decathlon. A store that sells (and allows you to test in store) sporting attire, equipment and nutrition across almost every sport, from badminton to horse riding and from cycling to hiking. So how does Decathlon bring the community together? By organising sporting events in store but also in the local area. Each year, they (the store in Surrey Quays, London) arrange a 5km race, open to all ages and abilities - a chance to improve your well-being through fitness but also by meeting new people. Further, Decathlon partner up with several small businesses to put on fitness-related classes in store. This includes the likes of bootcamps, trampolining and yoga. More recently, they put on a Body Confidence workshop that I attended, designed to empower women and discuss mental health. All are a great addition to the in-store experience! Customers love to get involved, especially when the events are free or only incur a small cost. The range of activities offer the health and well-being benefits consumer needs alongside the positive impact on the community.

Westfield (shopping centre) have also begun to incorporate health and wellbeing into their offerings as it’s been a major factor for its growth in its shopping mall locations. Westfield now include healthy food court options for its shoppers as well as boutique fitness stores! Their role is now changing and moving away from being 100% fashion-centric but to targeting its customers with more fun, food and fitness. This is their way of bringing consumers to not just the shopping centre but all of the stores within!

Diversity & Inclusion

We talk about Diversity & Inclusion a lot in the workplace, but what are retailers doing to bring the whole community together? Regardless of gender, nationality or sexuality. 

Earlier this year, Sainsbury’s (Bath, UK) encouraged colleagues and customers to learn to sign. A 150 day initiative creating an environment for those who are hard of hearing to support improved communication between colleagues and the local community. They even temporarily renamed the store to “Signsburys”! This unique shopping experience genuinely brought the community together and allowed shoppers that usually find the food shop difficult that little bit easier. The talking point here is how can retailers really bring this to scale by rolling out their initiatives on a national scale in order to have a much bigger effect and impact on many more communities?

Local events

Nothing brings the community together like a good local event! Personalised to each area, customers have the opportunity to experience something new and meet new people in their local area. 

For example, Books@One (a bookshop in Ireland) proves that running a physical bookstore can be successful and it’s all down to the community! Consumers can really immerse themselves in the store; they may participate in community events, explore what’s happening in the area and the region, or enjoy a coffee and relax. Shoppers will realise the social benefits that arise from these local events; an alternative way that brings the community together.

Another retailer that builds the community around its brand is Lululemon. By collaborating with yoga and fitness professionals in the local area, Lululemon uses its stores to host yoga classes and meditation sessions. A great way to connect with people and thus creating the ‘human’ element and customer trust with the brand.

And more recently, Sweaty Betty have carried out some workshops to show the importance of mental health, demonstrating that the smaller companies can do innovative things too. They offer numerous events in their London branch, having linked up with athleisurewear and used the studio at No. 1 Carnaby Street to hold Pilates classes so consumers can “get back in touch with [their] body and mind whenever it best suits”. To continue the experience, Sweaty Betty also offered shoppers the opportunity to stop by Farm Girl to re-energise themselves after a workout with some healthy nutrition!

What can retailers learn from this? 

I think that retailers should explore what in-store experiences they can provide that will bring more customers to the store. Can they hold classes or events? Taking a look at spaces or elements in your location may encourage people to meet and get together. Can retailers partner with smaller businesses? I think it’s about creating a space where your customers can use and experience retailer’s products and services while including all shoppers and thus reaching a wider range of consumers.

How can retailers put this into practice?

Identify what the customer needs and wants, putting them at the forefront and understand if this is aligned to the strategy. Calculate the costs and benefits; what will the ROI be before developing a plan to implement these improvements to the in-store experience? I think retailers should really think about what can drive footfall to their stores so customers can experience their offerings, while ensuring that their online presence is linked seamless to the store experience. It’s often around just going back to basics - we as consumers need more from our retailers than a place to visit to buy things, we have to have a reason to go to the destination.

I’d be interested in knowing who your Retail Stars are - join the conversation with #whoareyourretailstars and #retailstars

The next blog in this series will be all about Range and Offer - so keep a look out for Oliver Havard's blog post later this week!