Retail therapy, reimagined: The experience is everything | Elevated Retail

Remember when shopping was fun? As a child of the 70s and 80s, going to the mall or local Main Street was a highlight. It was a social activity as much as it was about buying something needed. I always enjoyed my time and came home with a little souvenir of my adventure. I truly miss those days.

COVID-19 significantly changed how we shop, buy and socialize. Retailers must acknowledge this shift. To remain top of mind for clients who are constantly bombarded with “Buy this now” messages, we need to differentiate ourselves from the digital noise. The dopamine hits we once got from shopping and socializing are now accessible through social media, texting and online shopping. “Retail therapy” is real.

To be a successful retailer, clients need an experience! Our three shops are located in the Seacoast area of New Hampshire about an hour north of Boston. The custom furniture and design showroom, opened in 2018, has an open, airy, clean, bright and friendly palette with spaces set up as individual rooms. The music playlist is ethereal and harmonic with some old blues or French pop mixed in. We demo our Lafco candles and Pura smart diffusers to create a welcoming atmosphere. Clients can wander and connect with specific spaces. When they sit, I join them, and we talk about anything unrelated to furniture or accessories. I might say, “Oh, it feels good to sit down. I’ve been running around all day.” My goal is to chat with them as if we’re already friends, which encourages them to open up about what brought them in; a project they are starting or trying to wrap up or just a room refresh. Create the experience, build the relationship and the sales will follow.

My other two shops, both called house & HOME, offer different experiences. They are dark, moody, loud, snarky and bold. These shops have dark floors and black ceilings. The lights are dim. An oversized glass chandelier from Four Hands hangs low enough to practically touch the tabletop. A blue velvet Chesterfield sofa from Hooker contrasts with the large painting of an astronaut from Wendover Art Group mounted above it. The music playlist is a carefully curated playlist of pop, alternative and chill. Kobo, Broken Top, Apotheke, and Skandinavisk candles add to the unique personality of each space. We have a great assortment of sassy, snarky cards, coasters and cocktail napkins from Mincing Mockingbird, Drinks on Me and Pretty Alright Goods placed near the front desk. It’s an easy conversation to start with a client who is already laughing and a great way to wrap up the sale with a smile. I care as much that clients leave happy and smiling as I do that they bought anything.

The way I set up my shops directly influences how I train my staff. It all circles back to the client experience. It begins with a quick and happy greeting the moment someone enters. We acknowledge them and let them know they’ve been seen; this is for both security and courtesy. Clients need about a 15-foot radius to assess their surroundings and acclimate before staff approaches. There’s nothing worse than stepping over the threshold only to be immediately asked, “Hello. Can I help you find anything?”

It’s a scientific fact that most people turn to their right when entering a shop. Use that knowledge to set your displays. Seasonal displays are front and center — just to the right. As clients browse, staff should approach for a “re-greet” from the front, never from behind. Everything in my shop has a story and a reason for its selection. It’s crucial that staff know these stories and can share them with clients. For example, “Oh my gosh, have you had these Geometry tea towels? We ordered a few by accident, so all the employees got one. When we got together the next week, we were all talking about how amazing they are! Now they’re one of our top-selling items! We buy them by the hundreds.” This is a true story — ordered by accident, given away, and now my second-best category, after candles. The key is to tell the story, not sell the item.

Another technique for creating a shopping experience is to create different spaces that have a distinct feel or personality. For instance, we have “The Perfect Couple” dining room, which evokes an “old money Nantucket” feeling. It features a distressed dining table, antique brown wicker host chairs, and white spindle-back side chairs. A large Farmhouse Pottery crock holds incredibly realistic blue hydrangeas from Park Hill Collection. Small oyster shell dishes and jars of mignonette from a local New England supplier are placed next to Vermont glassmaker Simon Pearce champagne flutes. We also have “Farmhouse Family,” “Modern Gilded Age,” “Confirmed Bachelor” and “Beach Girl.”

We not only change the vibe seasonally, but as items sell, we redistribute products. A tray that held melamine margarita glasses for summer pool parties now holds the last few glasses tied in pairs with the remaining margarita drink mixes from Noble Mick’s. We “toss” the shop every 4-6 weeks, changing the traffic flow, swapping pillows and throws, rearranging trays, décor, diffuser scents and merchandise tables. Everything moves, allowing us to pair things in new ways to tell new stories.

I encourage you to do a little “retail therapy” yourself. Visit your local competitors. Observe how you’re greeted, how you feel in space, what the staff is like, how it looks, smells, and sounds. Were you inspired? What did you like or dislike? Did you leave happy and want to return? Then, “shop” your own store. Go in and turn to the right. Do a loop. Then loop in the other direction to see all the angles. How does it smell? How does it sound? What do you see? Is it an experience? Do you feel happy?

Christina Van Blake is the founder of HOME Design Furnishings Decor and House and HOME in Dover, N.H.