“Visual merchandising could be considered to be the art of attracting customers with visual cues.”
The new retail environment design for Lush is about to target the younger generation with showing the brand identity of Lush to the customers, which is a combination of “Fun” and “Nature”. With the idea of fun and play, the design of the space and fixtures are inspired by the amusement arcade, a place that full of happiness. Also, VR Technology and personalise workshop area are added to provide new innovative experiences to the customers. Costumers are able to play, experiment, and learn from this brand-new store. Every spot of the new store design is Instagrammable, which will help to increase footfall to the store by letting visitors to share their snaps on the social media. This store will become a new Instagrammable hot space in the future.
The new retail environment design for Lush is about to target the younger generation with showing the brand identity of Lush to the customers, which is a combination of “Fun” and “Nature”. With the idea of fun and play, the design of the space and fixtures are inspired by the amusement arcade, a place that full of happiness. Also, VR Technology and personalise workshop area are added to provide new innovative experiences to the customers. Costumers are able to play, experiment, and learn from this brand-new store. Every spot of the new store design is Instagrammable, which will help to increase footfall to the store by letting visitors to share their snaps on the social media. This store will become a new Instagrammable hot space in the future.
For the ground floor, the whole floor is amusement arcade themed with space allocations inspired by the pinball machine. Pinball machine is a game to bring one or more balls inside and try to trap the balls to score higher, which is actually similar to the network circulation strategy of a commercial space aiming to attract customers to stay longer and shop more. A tunnel has created on the left to lead customers to the till point on the right, also other fixtures are placed like the arrangement inside to amusement arcade.
For the first floor, the original staircase has separated into two pathways and leads to two zones. The area closes to the window is the Virtual Reality area. People are able to put on the VR glasses in the huge bath bomb, a space within a space. On the other end, it is a personalise workshop area which customers are able to create their own product according to their preference and buy it from the till point right next to the personalise station.
With the idea of fun and playful personality of Lush, fixtures like claw crane, candy pusher and coin pusher are created as the display shelves to create the scenario of an amusement arcade. All the shelves are with opened front which allows an easy shopping that customers are able to grab the products with their hands but not really like playing the arcade machine. But first, they will come over and take a try to touch and see if the machines really work, this will attract the first attention. Customers are able to have fun while browsing products with the gaming like atmosphere. Colours of the shelves are mainly brown and black to set off the colourful products of Lush, like bath bombs and soaps.
The tunnel is structured with a gridded arch made with woods. In the tunnel, plants and ives are hanging inside the creates a green, garden like space. Also, there are some bubble tubes alongside which are showing the bubbles and the colourful fizzing reactions when using their iconic bath bombs in the water. The tubes are in different mixture of colours works like the demonstration of different bath bombs. The whole tunnels are very Instagrammble and it could be the pathway to lead people to the till points.
Tunnels are always dark and with only lights from the two ends. The grid form of this tunnel prevented the concern of lightings which does not need a strong and full coverage lights. Spot lights is a good choice for the tunnel as it could create a strong effect with creating the grid shadows on the floor to make a rich administrative level inside the tunnel. Inspired by the volcano lamp, LED lights are also inserted in both top and bottom of the bubble tubes to brighten up the colours of the whole tube and to make the tubes as one of the focus point to bring viewer’s interest to their products.
Virtual Reality is the latest technology to use in the retail space which it literally possible to experience anything, anywhere and anytime through the interactive hardware and software. The Virtual Reality is created within an installation which are the huge colourful bath bombs, the sphere created a private space for viewers to go inside and try on the VR headset without other’s slight and prevent any collision accident. With the VR headset, viewers are able to take a look into the Lush Factory, look around to see how are the products handmade and listen to a brief introduction of the brand. This could help to educate audiences to understand more about the brand and their products while having fun with the VR technology.
Coordinating with the VR Lush Factory tour, this is a station for people who are interested to create and personalise their own Lush products like how the products are made in the factory. Working like a kitchen area, ingredients are placing like seasonings and foods which allows people to choose their preference on the colour, smell and ingredients. Imitating the process choosing ice creams or like baking their own cakes, it is a totally different personalise experience with the usual. The Personalise Station provides a fun and new personal activity for people to enjoy with their friends and family or even on their own. Through the process of personalise, customers are able to understand the process of handmade and find out more on the ingredients of the products that they are using.
