Future of Retail:Ideas

Kiki de Montparnasse

This blog piece is a sort of ‘imagination aid’ for anyone who is kind enough to be participating in the Future of Retail research.  The questions in the research are:

1. The Future of Women’s Retail (for Pleasure Goods)

What we would like to know here is what sort of store would you really like to shop in (although you might of course, prefer online).   In the past, women  who have participated in WSS research have mostly set out ideas for shops that only rarely exist in practice - with exciting, immersive environments and a range of products that are ‘emotionally’ linked to each other.  Is this what you think?  If you look at the Top 50 goods on our site do they ‘fit’ together? Should department stores reflect this in their layout and product choices?  If you were shopping for something explicitly sexy what would give you an exciting retail experience?  If you are lucky enough to have found a shop you really like could you say what it is and why?

2.  Who should make Pleasure Goods?

Hewson Group think that there is a significant dysfunction in the market right now.  Something like 60-70 million women in Europe and North America own a sex toy but no significant brand makes one.  Personal lubricant is a really important issue for women across age ranges and is arguably a key sexual enhancer for older women and yet no ‘lovely’ brand such as Chanel or Dior markets such a product.  Luxury fetish (although you don’t have to have a fetish to like the idea!) such as whips, masks, handcuffs are not made by luxury manufacturers although we can see companies like Louis Vuitton playing with the possibilties.  High heels and other luxury shoes such as Louboutin and Jimmy Choo are perhaps the exceptions that demonstrate the possibility.  What do you think of this?  Who would you like to see in the market and would it make a difference to how and where you shopped?  Can you give examples of brand names and the goods they might make?

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In the responses to the original WSS research (2008-10) the majority of women said that they didn’t find buying lingerie ‘very exciting’, although to be honest we didn’t actually ask the question in any great depth. The issue of what sort of environment women consumers wanted to shop in was much more extensively covered and we gave some ‘illustrations’ to help prompt ideas. Around 70% of women consistently picked the Aladdin’s Cave concept of a shop with many goods and a freedom to look and feel.  It has been pointed out to us many times since that in choosing the ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ metaphor we were also suggesting an emotional space with exotic overtones and the challenge of entry and exploration.

We don’t want to be prescriptive. There are many viable possibilities and what may be a good idea in one country may not fit in another country or culture. Arguably, the lack of adventure in much of retail opens the door for some pretty radical thinking.  The extracts below (taken from recent emails to us) are just food for thought.  You might also like to look at the Blog piece on Department Stores.

 Agent Provocateur

 A few extracts.........

“It is difficult to describe my perfect shopping environment. It would need to feel classy but not intimidating and full of lovely things.  The shop would sell not just sex toys etc but lingerie (in larger sizes!!!) and perhaps skincare and bath products too.  Erotic books and art are all things that I would buy once I was in the mood. Goods would be displayed in a way that they could be picked up and touched, they are tactile after all, with staff that would be knowledgeable.  I cannot describe just one perfect environment. For me, Coco de Mer was nearly there but perhaps just a little odd and dark but always an enjoyable shopping experience. I would love to find a shop like a welcoming art gallery full of wonderful things that I would want to own or dream of owning one day.”

Aged 51, Twickenham UK

“I prefer an experience in a store that does not make an assumption about my relationship with pleasure products, or sex in general. The only place I’ve experienced this is at the Passage du Desir store in the Marais, Paris and it was memorable for that very reason. There was a certain amount of sweetness and kitsch, which changed the store from just another ‘shop that sells sex toys’ to a shop that evokes love, affection and playfulness.

I’ve been into a couple of stores which are geared towards a female audience and have a distinctly femme fatale décor – dark colours, burlesque or bordello style interiors (lots of red, black and deep purple) and overzealous sales assistants – almost the extreme opposite of the usual tacky, explicit male-oriented stores, but still a very strong statement and strong negative symbolism. Two girlfriends refused to come in to the store with me – the décor reminded them of ‘prostitutes and brothels’ and this instant association turned them off shopping in the store. Understandable. When buying a sex toy, we don’t necessarily want to feel like a prostitute ;-)

I think somewhere in the middle is perfect: luxurious, feminine atmosphere much like the cosmetic floor of a luxury department store, with helpful consultants who are available when I have questions but aren’t overbearing – for me, this is an immersive environment that never fails to engage me. It addresses all senses – there are luxury fragrances being sprayed, imagery depicting beauty, beautiful packaging everywhere and sample products to test. There’s nothing shocking, confronting, explicit or taboo to sour the experience.

I would be more likely to repeatedly shop where I have the freedom to browse and experience a store that’s infused with playfulness….”

Aged 32, Sydney, Australia

passage du desir, Paris

“I enjoy shopping for lingerie and I have a lot of it. I like going into Victoria's Secret but on reflection I guess I like it without being engaged by it (or immersed to use your expression) and in the USA VS seems a bit 'clean'. I felt more excited by going into Agent Provocateur in London when I was last there but when I think about it maybe I was being flirted with rather than fully seduced if you see what I mean. Maybe if the store had been bigger or deeper or something  It was a superficial contact between me and them (but I did buy something so maybe it wasn't so superficial!).

I do have a couple of sex toys but I bought them both off the internet.  That's a not a good thing because I would have preferred to buy them in a shop but maybe I wasn't brave enough. I definitely would have been brave enough if there was a sex shop I liked and I know that there are supposed to be some nice shops in NY but not where I work.  So what would I wish for?

Yes I do want to step into another world. That seems to be important because there is fantasy involved and I want to feel both escapism and anticipation. I can't think of any shop that really does that for lingerie and most sex toy shops are just tacky.  I'd want to be drawn in to an atmosphere that made my imagination run riot!  maybe some art, nice fragrances and some music, mystery rooms, dirty books to browse. And brands, although I don't know if that's the marketer in me talking. If there were well known brands there then that would make a massive difference to my good girl/bad girl brain. I mean, picking up on what you suggest, if there was a blindfold by Dior or something then I'd want it and if I bought that I'd probably buy the most expensive sex toy in the place!   But Dior don't make things like that (at least I think they don't...) and if they did they would probably need to sell them in different shops to those I see now. Is that right? If it is then it's a sort of catch 22.  But that would seem to be your problem to solve:))”

Aged 32  New York

                  “A glass front shop, and it to be all open plan, light, clean and crisp, like an Apple store. The clientle would be readers of Vogue / Marie Claire etc. The experience would be very high end, exclusive and very contemporary. With glass or contemporary styled furniture, different coloured lighting -with the different product type having it's own coloured lighting area, glass shelves, big fish tanks, animal skin covered chairs & settees. 

Only women or gay men working in the shop. They welcome you on entrance and ask if you need any help in particular, but then don't bug you if your there to just browse. I would want to feel welcome, and relaxed, and not afraid to pick anything up.  The store assistants would encourage you to pick everything up, feel it, smell it, test it. 

There would be big TV screens on the wall showing testimonials and celebrity endorsements and product advertising, special offers etc. There would be small interactive screens dotted around, where you can find product videos on how to use them, and a search facility if your not sure what to look for.

A small coffee shop  / juice bar  / cocktail bar area where women can sit down and chat, and take it all in.

A large selection of goods - basically a one stop shop / department store for luxury / erotic goods.”  Aged 34, Manchester