“Always new, always different” could be the motto that drives today’s consumers. And it is precisely in this respect that stationary retail is lagging behind in many cases. Static store displays that often remain the same for a long time, stagnant product ranges, and generally a lack of liveliness and change in the store. For many consumers, these are the classic “turn-offs” that severely dampen their shopping mood.
The “walk-in shop window”
The idea of the agency von7 and the designers of K.U.L.T.OBJEKT can be described as a “walk-in shop window” with changeable and individually adaptable assortments and brands. These stores are also equipped with state-of-the-art lighting, video, and data-generation technologies. A store as changeable and adaptable as a chameleon. It is primarily about creating flexible shopping worlds that arouse the customer’s curiosity and their urge to play and experience. And the exciting thing is that, one month later, a completely new presentation, with new products embedded in a completely different brand world, can be established in the same place. It is all about flexibility!
Jens Fischer, Founder and Creative Director of K.U.L.T.OBJEKT, explains: “For us, the format of an Event PopUp Store is a logical step in the evolution of retail. The way in which goods are presented is a significant building block for reaching potential customers emotionally. It is precisely on this emotional level that the deficits of online retailing become apparent. A good price and seemingly limitless availability alone cannot make up for the desire to touch something, feel quality, and discover its individual value.”
The first store was opened in the Westpark Shopping Center in Ingoldstadt. Currently, the Tourismusverband Erzgebirge TVE (Tourism Association) is presenting its region as an experience world until Christmas.
Jens Fischer explains the concept further: “The space can be booked as an event, PR, brand and retail store; according to the ‘retail-as-a-service’ principle. A top-notch digital infrastructure also distributes and streams the store presentation on social media channels. The store also has a so-called ‘360° universe satellite’, a highly professional video studio that transports visitors into a virtual world of experience. In this specific case, this means that you find yourself in the middle of a hammer mill in the Ore Mountains. The installed, elaborate 360° cinema technology makes it possible.”
Modular design, maximum flexibility
The store designers planned with neutral, flexible, and partly rollable room and store modules as well as stage elements. Modular construction and flexibility are the store’s basic principles.
The core of the concept is the digital toolbox filled with technological highlights such as digital screens and walls, and high-quality sound and lighting systems. The lighting, one of the most important staging elements, can be adapted to any brand CI by RGBW coding.
Full flexibility for users
The space, equipment, and services can be selected and booked on a modular basis. “A brand therefore needs to bring little more than its own merchandise and, if necessary, staff,” Fischer elaborates. Staging, technology, and shopfitting are provided by the von7 agency. It acts as an external service provider that takes care of all organizational processes and staging. If desired, it can also act as a full-service provider, taking care of content creation, social media accounts, creating YouTube videos, and handling customer monitoring.
The business model behind it is both simple and logical
The store spaces are rented on a long-term basis, preferably in prime shopping center locations, and then made available to various users over shorter periods. This model also has advantages for the shopping center. The result is a succession of consistently new and exciting store concepts.
Jens Fischer summarizes: “The Event PopUp Store is a new hybrid format that combines the best of both worlds. It is a walk-in online store that can be experienced emotionally. The feedback on the test store in Ingolstadt is promising; we already planning the further roll-out of this format.”
