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How to shape a new in-store experience for your customers

April 17, 2020 da Barbara

Questa immagine ha l'attributo alt vuoto; il nome del file è babepi_experience-1024x538.jpg

I came up with the idea for this post on a rare outing during the lockdown. Before you rage at me, I was out grocery and meds shopping for my 74-year-old mother, I was wearing a mask and gloves, and keeping a good two meters away from anybody else.

Walking in the city center when shops are closed always ignites musings in me, even on a regular Sunday. I think it’s because I tend to notice shop windows more, and I also have time to explore my own sense of loss and to think of the reasons why I would go in a store rather than the other. At this pandemic time, the same musings took a different angle.

What could you change in your store to allow your customers to experience it differently?

As I was walking along deserted streets, shop windows seemed a bit banal and altogether I missed opportunity, I felt an urge to enter the smaller shops to rearrange them according to social distancing, and so on. Since we’re getting nearer to the time when shops will at least partially reopen, I thought those musings could come useful to some of you.

I only kept ideas that could be implemented without any investment, and by using what you already have, especially your time and the relationship you have built with your customers.

Style your windows so they can speak for you when the store is closed

Start thinking about your shop window as you would have programmed your answering machine a few years back, use your voice, provide useful information, with your usual tone (whether it’s formal or quirky).

Your store window, now on more than any other time, should not simply display your seasonal stock (that people could find elsewhere), but it should house:

  • a carefully curated selection;
  • items chosen from your customer’s go-to purchases, and items that are eponymous with your store;
  • items that are bound to better satisfy the needs your customers feel now.

If you sell skincare, for example, display your best hand creams, and face masks and moisturizers. Dehydration is one of the worse ways lockdown affects our skin.

Don’t crowd your shop window with the products you want to sell but that customers are not currently interested in. If you really must, display those at check-out as a complement for your primary products. For example, if you sell jewelry (real or costume), people will be more inclined to buy items that can be seen during a video call, like earrings and necklaces. Display rings at check out, and offer them to customers who bought hand cream, as a finishing touch to their pampering but make sure they’re made of materials unaffected by cosmetics.

If you were used to writing price tags by hand, maybe with a personal, hardly readable handwriting, this is the time to go the print route or block writing, and to display them right next to the item they refer to. Avoid listing all the prices in a tiny sheet hidden in a corner of the window.

Finally, create a neat sign with graphics coordinated with your brand (Canva.com has great options), listing a few simple rules for accessing your store. Make sure to add a link that people queuing can view while waiting. It could lead them to your Instagram profile, or to Shopify e-commerce you’ve set up during lockdown, maybe one where they can shop and pick up in-store. This way, even those in a hurry will be able to buy from you, without entering the store and arranging for a later pick-up instead.

Arrange for customers to visit by appointment

Especially if your shop is small, customers will not be able to visit exactly as before. Depending on the size of your space you might need to allow one person in at a time, while the rest will need to queue outside.

How can you organize this in a way that doesn’t penalize your most faithful customers? First of all you could grant them priority access. If you have their contact information (even just their Instagram handle), reach out with a message including:

  • a genuine request after their well-being; it’s a great way to re-establish a connection, plus it could lead to asking them “I know you’ve had other things on your mind, but is there anything you have missed from my store and that you would like me to set aside for you?”
  • information about reopening, including times and days, and how to access your store;
  • the possibility to book an appointment, at the time most convenient for them, if they were thinking of visiting, so they can skip the queue.

Once you have reached out to your best customers, you can announce the possibility to book an appointment on your website and all your other channels. Including your newsletter, but you might want to do it there first, while you’re still calling your customers, this way people who receive the newsletter will still feel its value as an access point to exclusive offers.

Your announcement should clarify whether you will be welcoming customers by appointment only (I wouldn’t do that), or if people will also be able to visit you directly, but in that case, they should be warned of potential waiting times. As you will start reopening and experiencing this new way of work, keep track of average visiting times so that you can better warn your customers of waiting times, on your website, your channels, and the sign in your store window.

If people (understandably) tend to linger just for a chat, set a gracious timer for their visit. Explain it to them and seek their collaboration, pick a fun song to mark the end of their allotted time, and if you can and are willing to, allow them to book another visit at a quieter time for more chats.

Finally, if you have pavement space or a parking lot under your control, arrange for a few seats to make the queue more pleasant.

Build on the one-on-one experience, as if you were a personal shopper

Making do with limitations is my favorite approach to hurdles and change- Much better than whining and despairing over things beyond our control don’t you think?

My making do of reduced store accessibility would be to turn any visit in an appointment with a personal shopper. At the end of the day you don’t need much:

  • submit a shortlist of questions to anybody booking an appointment; ask them what they hope to purchase, what kind of need they’re trying to fulfill, how much they intend to spend, what are their likes and dislikes. Ask the same questions to any visiting customer, show them a genuine interest in helping them;
  • arrange for an area of the store where customers will be able to sit and peruse a selection of items you’ve prepared for them according to their answers; take the time to illustrate how each item is the right fit for them, then leave them alone to evaluate their purchase;
  • bring a thermal bag to your store with a bottle of bubbly and single-use cups, and offer your customer a glass of white to go with their experience.

This idea works best if you have a wide array of stock that could disorient your customer, but it will work if you’re willing to step in their shoes and arrange for a selection of items that they truly desire and need. And if you make them feel taken care of.

Never before, now and in the following months, customers will come to you looking for what they truly missed: human touch, attention, and service.

Filed Under: strategy Tagged With: brick and mortar, customer care, retail

10 marketing actions for brick and mortar stores

March 20, 2020 da Barbara

I inaugurated 2020 in Georgia, United States. AmericasMart had invited Annette and me to talk to the visitors of their January Atlanta Market.

Our event was on January 16 and you can read Annette’s reportage on her blog (and see my pictures from that trip on Instagram in my Highlights). I thought that a time of lockdown it would be useful to revise the content of our talk.

Ten simple tips for brick and mortar shops, to stay relevant online in 2020

The tips below are grounded in Annette’s experience working with brands and stores, in our common editorial background, as well as in my marketing expertise. Finally, we were lucky enough to have our friend Kelli Lamb, editor in chief of online magazine Rue, to moderate the lively conversation with the audience in Atlanta.

We structured our talk to address mostly owners and buyers of independent stores specializing in interior, decoration, and gifts, so you will not relate to this content if you own an e-commerce or if your shop is part of a chain.

I must preface by saying that looking back over my notes now, I am very proud of the advice we came up with, that it is still valid and useful. I hope that this could help your store weather the Covid-19 storm over the next months. More down the line, I will publish another article focused on the customer experience in-store, with more practical advice for a pandemic season.

1. Make peace with constant change

Atlanta Market 2020 Talk - 1 cambiamento

No matter the business model, you have to contend with accelerated change in any market, nowadays. There is no point in coming up with a model that you plan to keep unchanged for years. The sooner you make peace with this, the better you will be prepared to face change rather than surrender to it.

2. Find your niche

Atlanta Market 2020 Talk - 2 nicchia

You must have heard this a milion times, but it’s always worth repeating if there are still businesses and stores trying to please everyone. Customers want to feel like they walk into a space concieved for them.

Furthermore, once you define your niche you will be able to get to work on authentic communication suitable for that public. Your voice is precisely the combination of the tone, register, and content that speak of your customer, far before they speak at her.

3. Apply your style to your brand

Atlanta Market 2020 Talk - 3 marchio

Your business idea will influence your store style, and it is imperative it shows on your brand. That is the fastest way to be found and recognized by the right audience.

Clearly a brand is more than just your logo. Your store signage, the color you picked for its walls, the way you styled your merchandise, your packaging, must all tell the same story, in order to be effective.

4. Think like a concept store

Atlanta Market 2020 Talk - 4 concept

In the world of lifestyle, a store selling just one category of merchandise is missing opportunities.

It’s a complex topic, and it would need pages and hours to fully be explored, but to cut it very short, the experience is a decisive factor in a world where most products can be bought online at a cheaper price. But experiencing is about all our senses, and it plays on different neurological connections, thus it cannot be bound to just one product category.

5. Curate your space to create a memorable experience

Atlanta Market 2020 Talk - 5 spazio

It is vital that your customer has a memorable experience in store, if you want her to come back and not to buy online next what she bought from you. The first element of this that you can shape is your store space.

Design your store with your customer’s experience in mind, trying to make it as seamless, pleasant, and satisfactory as possible. Focus points might vary according to the merchandise you sell, but reception, hang our, payment, and packaging/delivery are always crucial.

6. Style your merchandise with Instagram in mind

Atlanta Market 2020 Talk - 6 allestimento

Even before thinking of a digital marketing budget, you should design a store that your customer wants to photograph and display on their Instagram feed.

Arrange products in appealing vignettes and make sure stock storage is nice to look at as well as well organized. Next, let your customer know they are welcome to take pictures and share them; make it easy for them by displaying signs granting permission and providing your tag. Then thank them, they are advertising you to your target audience.

7. Use Instagram as an e-commerce

Atlanta Market 2020 Talk - 7 vendere su Instagram

Since your customers are already advertising you on Instagram, make it super simple for their followers to buy the products they fall in love with!

Use the Catalogue feature provided by Facebook/Instagram to create a ‘Shop Window’ feature with product sheets displaying neat pictures. Then animate your own feed with inspirational images of your products seen in action, and tag them!

8. Craft a seamless experience

Atlanta Market 2020 Talk - 8 esperienza

The easier it is for your customers to shop with you, the better. So stop forcing them to come to you when they need to restock their favorite candle! Instead, invite them to visit when you have something new to see, just for them.

To do this, you need to create an omni-channel experience beginning in store, but continuing online and with delivery.

9. New shopping experiences

Atlanta Market 2020 Talk - 9 esperienza

The bottom line is, you need to create new shopping experiences that fulfill your customers’ needs. Membership and loyalty programs should provide you useful data to better serve your customers, reminding them only of new arrivals they will absolutely adore, and allowing them to better spend their money.

Coming up with subscription programs to your customer’s favorite products (candles, skincare, stationery), better even if they’re scheduled to be delivered to them around the time they might run out of them, will make them loyal to you.

10. Welcome your customers back

Atlanta Market 2020 Talk - 10 benvenuto

Finally, as soon as it’s possible, open up your store to unique and truly engaging events. Give your customer a reason to come back to visit you, beyond seeing what new products you have.

What do you think of this advice? Do you own a store? Have you tried doing any of this already? If you feel like it, DM me on Instagram to tell me about it.

Filed Under: strategy Tagged With: brick and mortar, conferences, customer care, retail, set design

Welcome to 2020, and my review of Interior Design Masters

January 14, 2020 da Barbara

babepi interior design masters

So, 2020 began with the proverbial bang, and January has turned out to be a pivotal month for my career, which will account for many a conversation in the future, I’m sure.

This article, however, is about Interior Design Masters and the way it lends itself to a number of reflections about creative work as well as interior design.

A reality show about interiors and the creative process

The first season of Interior Design Masters landed on Netflix International on October 19 2019, and I binged it over a weekend, having loads of fun.

It all boils down to two main reasons, the first one fairly personal, the second a more objective one.

The judge, Michelle Ogundehin

The first element I loved about the format was appointing Michelle Ogundehin as the series judge. I might be biased because I’ve admired Ms. Ogundehin for over a decade since she took over the role of editor in chief at Elle Decoration UK. Her monthly editorials were an inspired mixture of feeling and sharp design instinct, and I’ve kept the majority of them in a binder.

To be honest, I’ve also pre-ordered her first book which sounds like a perfect and natural expansion on those same editorials.

The same balance of honest heart and a strong sense of what commercial interior design is, is what brought some of the highest moments in Interior Design Masters because Ogundehin manages to convey some very direct and invaluable lessons to the contestants while always feeling and showing compassion for their passion, effort, and journey.

It is a pleasure to watch and a great teaching opportunity for anybody with a strong interest in the business and a creative approach.

Business lessons for creative types

The second reason why Interior Design Masters is so interesting to watch is that most of the key teaching moments in the show apply to any creative professional doing commercial work and something not all creative professionals have come to terms with.

‘Listen to your client’, ‘Ultimately the design has to work for the client’, ‘A signature design is not always the right answer to the brief’ are just some of the hard truths all creatives have to face, sooner or later.

And yet, so many designers, architects, decorators, stylists tend to ignore these truths, often ending up with designs that don’t fulfill the brief. Or that won’t survive the first week of real life.

The Interior Design Masters judges never condone these mistakes. And that is something I loved.


What I loved a little bit less was the way some interior conundrums were addressed…

Interior conundrums and my solutions

While watching the show there were a few conundrums that contestants were met with that I felt were not addressed properly, and that I feel I would have come up with the right solution for. I’ve decided to write about them here as a little exercise.

I get it. To create conflict in the show, writers need to get contestants to make a few dumb mistakes, here and there. However, it’s a pain to watch an excellent show when people in it come up with the least efficient and more absurd solutions to problems!

Here’s a list of a few instances when a simple interior conundrum was not addressed properly and the solution I would have come up with. To be clear, my solutions might not be the absolute best, but I thought it’d be a nice exercise to detail them. Maybe this will help anybody who’s facing the same challenges.

Episode one – show homes

Conundrum: how to style rooms to inspire a viewer to desire to own the place and live in it, without scaring them off.

My approach: I feel the ego should be left outside of any such project. Show homes are not designed to wow guests but to entice as many people as possible into thinking, “I want to live here!”. It’s only natural that this kind of project should be very market-oriented and a little bit expected.

My solution: I think the best way to approach this is by sticking to nuances from a single palette for the whole project, creating cohesion from room to room. Decor-wise I would pick a few grounding pieces (think a big sofa and two chairs for a living room), accessorizing them with props that a prospective buyer could easily pick within any budget.

Episode three – the skateboard store

Conundrum: how to display as much merchandise as possible (as per the owner’s request) while not making the store look unnecessarily cluttered?

My approach: when a client demands something impractical or counter-intuitive, my first reaction is always to research what lies beneath this request. What is the client’s actual need and/or priority behind it? What reasoning led them to believe they should ask for this? In this episode, it turns out the skateboard store was famous for having the most complete range of specialty products in the Country, and its owner believed he had to display them all to be relevant.

My solution: truth be told, you don’t really need to display every single item you sell in a store, but you should edit and curate a selection of items that carefully reflect your full range. It’s very much about careful editing and inventive storage. For example, board wheels could be stored in deep drawers similar to hardware shop ones, with a sample wheel at the front of each drawer. Any shopper could see all available wheels at first glance, while the display would be streamlined and organized.

Episode four – dorm rooms

Conundrum: how to make the multifunctional storage units work in a tight space?

My approach: think about the client; they hold all the answers. And this instance isn’t different, the clients being students (of course) who’re living alone for the first time, and maybe don’t even know what they’d like/want yet. But what’s their daily life like? And what would make it easier? Answering these questions should be the first step in designing these rooms.

My solution: raising beds on tall storage units is a good idea to make the most of tight rooms… but only insofar as the storage units are not too tall to climb and are fully equipped with deep drawers mounted on castors, inner compartments, and shelving behind every door. I would have made it super easy to fill with the student’s possession and sort them, and stupidly quick to open and put away. Fewer props around and more smart choices in the black canvas of the rooms.

Every episode

Conundrum: how to paint props and furniture fast without compromising on quality?

My approach: balancing priorities, duh.

My solution: this kept blowing my mind throughout the series. Watching all that brush painting when spray painting would have been much faster and more effective. Brush painting is ideal when you have the time to do proper brushwork, to let the item sit and dry, and to do fine detailing. But when you have to mass-paint big props and items, spray paint is the only smart answer. Just think about it, Frank. With spray paint, you could have had your lighting fixture in the country home living room instead of having to go with Cassie’s rattan solution!


And that’s all for my first blog post of 2020.

What about the rest of the year? Let’s just say I hope to be able to publish a blog post roughly every two weeks. I will attempt to cover different topics to reflect many interests I have, keeping a reasonable balance between tutorials and more personal reflections. Like this piece, although I hope it will be useful to somebody out there.

What not to expect from this blog:

  1. any artifice;
  2. the kind of mock-intimate discourse like we knew each other. I have honestly no control over who lands here and no clear idea of who you, my reader are, so I see no point in pretending otherwise.

To be perfectly honest, I wish you’d surprise me if we ever met IRL.

Filed Under: styling Tagged With: film and tv, interior design, retail, set design

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babepi is Barbara

My name is Barbara Pederzini and babepi has been my nickname since 1997. In 2009, I began using it as a brand, to offer my strategy, styling and teaching consultancies to businesses.

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