Shopping Life™: New Ways Retailers are Bringing Passion, Purpose, and Wellness into Brick Stores
Disney’s “Star” attraction? Cracking the code to happy wait times.
A couple of weeks ago, I visited Disneyland and got to ride the Star Wars Rise of Resistance attraction (after a couple hours of waiting, of course). The technology in the ride alone is something I can talk about forever, but what also impressed me was how Disney incorporated QR codes into the queue. Using the theme park’s exclusive Play Disney Parks app, I was able to scan QR codes on decorative elements that transformed my phone into a “data pad.” This turned wait time into play time, with interactive tasks that entertained us during those hours. The virtual queue concept made me wonder, what can retailers, learn from Disney to make their QR codes more appealing to shoppers? And when will Disney add ways to shop items while in line?
H&M’s remade flagship renews faith in sustainable retail.
One of our scouts, Cheryl, recently visited Amsterdam to check out H&M’s refurbished flagship. The store, which reopened in November 2021, is testing new sustainable services. An urgent response to the waste issues that fast fashion retailers create. Among the features worth writing home about: a rental service, so shoppers can temporarily own H&M garments; a repair and remake sewing station where old clothing is altered to last longer (for non-H&M items too); and a convenient pick-up destination for online orders, with smart recycling bins that offer shoppers discounts for their contributions. How will H&M scale these flagship services across stores to contribute to a more widespread difference? We’ll let you know.
Humanizing Sally's Shop – from online to offline.
Efforts to humanize the store have been on my mind since another of our scouts, Christine, visited Sally’s Shop in Mannheim, Germany. Opened by Germany’s popular food blogger and influencer, Saliha Özcan, the store serves as a physical space that brings her online brand and YouTube channel (Sally’s Welt, or World) to life. The centerpiece of the store is a replica of her kitchen, where Christine explored cabinets stocked with surprising items and enjoyed product demonstrations by the staff. This represents just one of the many ways brands and retailers are humanizing their stores in a digital world: taking products off the shelves and setting them in context.
