Retail in the Real World

IRDC is my favorite conference. It’s large enough to attract great participation from retailers, designers and industry partners, but still small enough to have a wonderful culture of openness that makes it easy, comfortable, and even fun to meet new people, connect, and collaborate. I was thrilled that 2011’s IRDC was held in my own city of San Francisco and once again I walked away from a great week of diverse events, presentations and discussions feeling inspired. In an effort to keep those conversations going I thought I’d share some of what I found most inspiring.

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Do Non Profits Equal Brand Loyalty for Retailers?

Image ©Vogue/Evan Sung

When I read an article from Vogue about Nordstrom opening a charitable NYC concept shop, it got me thinking about the future of cause marketing. In case you’re not familiar, cause marketing is basically a type of marketing involving the cooperative efforts of a for profit business and a nonprofit organization for mutual benefit. There are a tremendous amount of cause marketing initiatives in the world today with some of the most notable being Product (Red), TOM’s shoes, and Yoplait's "Save Lids to Save Lives."

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Airport Retail Takes Off

Unlike traditional malls where consumers typically go with shopping as their primary purpose, people are usually at an airport because they are traveling or because they work at the airport and shopping is secondary. But, retail at the airport is increasingly important. Since 9/11, we are limited in what we can carry in our luggage and we end up having to buy last minute amenities. More extensive security policies mean we have to arrive at the airport much earlier than in the past, too, so we have more time to spend in the terminal – eating, shopping, connecting, or simply taking a moment to relax. And reduced food and beverage options on the planes themselves mean we want more options in the terminal, packed neatly for carry-on.

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A Casual Concern

© StephanPyles.com

High-end restaurants used to be an "event." The eatery was the destination, and you dressed to the nines, donning your pearls and shining your shoes.

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The Art & Science of Shopping: Shopping the Seven Seas

Part of my client roster is Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and I had the privilege (and I mean privilege) to work as their retail design consultant on what at the time had been deemed “Project Genesis” for the onboard shops. This was my first foray into cruise ship retail, and it reminds me of an expression a friend always used to say, “If you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly.”

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