Part of Staples' reinvention focus was to create new experiences in the store environment. This project took a look at several prominent areas in-store which focused on institutional and promotional opportunities.
In this service desk exploration, we took a "what if" approach to create an architectural focal point for customers. And we imagined the types of activities that the customer could experience in this space.
• What if the BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store) area was self-service? Customers could receive a key-code that could be scanned or entered and retrieve their own items.
• What if more seating was added to this area so that customers could sit down with an associate and talk about their business needs.
• What if there was a sign-in method, like an electronic queue, where customers signed in when they needed help, typed in a few key words about their business/needs, and the feed on the monitor could be influenced by what they type.
• What if there was a sign-in method, and customers could continue browsing in the store, and a text message could be sent to them when they are up next for service.
• What if new product categories were always featured in this area to raise awareness.
Three concepts were presented. 1. A bold use of color to create a focal point in the environment. 2. Introduction of texture to appeal to the senses. 3. Graphic shapes and content to add more informational opportunities to the experience.
Each concept was presented with detailed callouts, communicating the materials and elements used to create the Omnichannel experience.
Additionally, our exploration of the in-store experience looked at how to enhance promotional opportunities throughout the store. The example above shows how to retrofit existing end cap displays to communicate the expanded assortment, create new ways to display and promote products and categories, and utilize existing fixtures to manage overall cost.
We fleshed out this idea across new categories to demonstrate how endcap displays could drive customers online to shop, feature sample products for customers to "touch and feel", or feature products that could be sold off of the display.