EE s new Showcase stores Designed by Quinine to offer an immersive customer experience.

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1 EE s new Showcase stores Designed by Quinine to offer an immersive customer experience. Retail experience consultancy Quinine began working with EE, the UK s biggest mobile operator, in November 2016 with a brief to create a number of stores that would showcase the best service, the best network and products on offer from EE and BT (EE became part of the BT Group in 2016), extending the reach beyond traditional mobile into the multi quad-play market. London based Quinine set out to design stores that would marry human behaviour with the brand and the physical environment to give a multi-layered and dynamic experience. The result; premium stores that welcome customers in, inviting them to get involved with the latest technology and network innovations. As well as exploring the latest mobile handsets, customers get to try live products such Google Home, Apple Watch, EE Live TV and Samsung s VR headsets. 01

2 EE s premium stores showcase in store support and the latest mobile and home technology. We based the store concept around an aesthetic called show time, a theatrical design language, which uses a large scale and proportion with dramatic lighting for all product displays and service experiences. At the same time we were keen not to make it appear hard-edged and too technological. We softened the space by adding more raw and human elements and introduced a conversational tone of voice. Ian Johnston, founder of Quinine said on designing the stores. The store experience is designed around the cathedral principle; with high ceilings that wow customers and create immediate intrigue at the front area of the store, whilst lowered ceilings at the centre act as a more intimate space, suitable for face-to-face consultative conversations. Once inside, customers are greeted with EE s new Showcase Stage, a multi-functional display space suitable for a variety of physical and digital experiences. With the aim to involve customers, dedicated EE staff use the large digital screens and display props to engage with customers, encouraging them to get involved. The plan is that these installations will change out every three to six weeks, keeping the store fresh and the content current and relevant. The London stores launched with a gesture-controlled dance experience, where customer and staff movements appear on the digital backdrop, to promote 6-months of apple music for free, while the Nottingham store launched with an iphone 8 event. In order to increase customer dwell time and provide more opportunities to browse new products and services, the traditional devices (mobile handsets and tablets) were relocated to the back of the store. An illuminated wall and dramatic oversized product displays maintain the focus and lure customers to browse, select and compare. 02

3 The showcase store is about higlighting new product categorise and amazing in store service and support. As a result of a new mobile POS system, which allows customers and staff to transact anywhere in store, Quinine removed the traditional service desk. The new design provides a variety of service touch points for different kinds of customer commitment and postures. With a dedicated Help Hub, service was placed at the heart of the store experience. An innovative use of digital projections located behind the Help Hub, shows animated icons that tell service stories. It s a more integrated digital layer that moves beyond screen-based interactions, and successfully aligns with the EE brand. Throughout the stores Quinine introduced a simple palette of materials to create a warm, familiar but dynamic modern feel. European white oak and feltlike fabrics for upholstered seating were used to indicate service areas. While metal, powder coated in the brand colours (aqua and yellow), pop and lift a subtle palette of grey, black and white walls. Dynamic signage throughout helps customers to navigate and adds a light, fresh and friendly tone to the store. A brand wall features a local hand drawn sketch of the City with icons to underline the network capabilities, directly connecting the store to the local community. For a store experience to be successful it must work for the business, the brand, the customers and the staff, said Johnston, adding we ensured that we included elements throughout the store journey that encourage involvement and facilitate a comfortable, relaxing face-to-face experience for both customers and staff. We wanted to democratise technology, so customers could feel at ease and inspired by what s on offer. 03

4 The Showcase Stage at the front of the store is a flexible and adaptable space that facilitates various types of scheduled experiences. The store design layout: The overall store was divided into three types of store journeys that overlapped to create a dynamic overall experience for a variety of shopper types. The first type, the showcase journey, starts at the front of the store where the impactful showcase stage is equipped with soft flooring, a large digital screen and a large circular hanging light. Adjacent to the Showcase Stage a comfortable sofa invites customers to sit in front of a large 85 4K TV. Named the content champion customers are handed a remote to control the TV and can choose to view great movies, sports or entertainment, whilst this subtle interaction forms a relationship between staff and customer. The support store journey focused on the sales and services interactions between staff and customers. As a focal point Quinine designed a large central service counter, giving it a modern twist Quinine placed this Service Bar in the centre of the store, away from any wall to encourage customers 04

5 and staff to walk around and use all of it. Raising the height of the service bar by 70mm subtly encourages customers to lean in, making it a comfortable and a less formal way of connecting with store staff. Throughout the store, soft seating features with round café style tables ensure there s no hierarchy or barriers between the customer and staff interaction and facilitate an open and relaxed engagement. The dedicated privacy booths are designed to reflect what you might expect in your own home, although subtly balanced for the retail environment. These booths allow for more in-depth and complex demonstrations of services and on boarding for customers. Quinine has designed each element of the store to facilitate face-to-face interactions. Located throughout the store with a main focal point at the rear, is the third store journey dedicated to selecting services and products. Here customers can compare and contrast live products to ensure they are getting the right devices. Highlight displays are positioned in the centre of the store as progressive lures that present benefit lead propositions. Large-scale modular wall displays are dedicated to device brands such as Apple, Google and Samsung. Premium lifestyle displays hero live accessories that show customers how to get the most out of the EE network. Various service touch points are located throughout the store. We are extremely pleased with these first showcase stores and they have exceeded our expectations in many ways. It is a real pleasure to see staff and customers interacting around the carefully considered moments Quinine has designed into the store experience. But I feel the biggest success is the transformative effect it seems to have had on EE and BT, helping them to reposition themselves as leaders on the high street.. Concluded Johnston. Westfield White City and Stratford showcase stores opened August 2017, Tottenham Court Road in September, with Nottingham and Oxford opening their doors in October

6 Various service touch points are located throughout the store. Creating spaces that customer enjoying coming to. 06

7 Accessories displays present lifestyle stories for products that enhance the core networking services. About Quinine Beginning life in 2007, Quinine is a retail experience consultancy known for their user-centric design approach, their understanding of human behaviour and how behaviour relates to the physical environment. They are a company committed to making space work better for businesses, brands, customers and staff, their Happiness Circle. Quinine works with a range of international product and service brands, designing and handling full-scale rollouts, new store concepts, pop-up and mobile stores as well as one-off experiential installations. A complementary range of skills within architecture, interior design, graphic design and illustration supports Quinine s solid industrial design background. Founded by Ian Johnston, who graduated with a MA in industrial design from the Royal College of Art and who is one of the first Helen Hamlyn Research Associates, Quinine is based in London s Queens Park. Clients include: Comcast, EE, Fido, Imperial College London, Innovation RCA, LG, Orange, Rogers, Sony Ericsson, Tesco and Xfinity. Further information on Quinine and images please contact Abby Lloyd-Jones on +44(0) or press@quininedesign.com Please visit our website: Or our Twitter 07