Be Frozen

Another example of flash mob: frozen. Thousands of people meets in a square and they stop (froze) for some minutes. Then, their life go on in the same ordinary way.

Here is an example in Milan.

Continuum and Amplifon to create retail experience

Since the 1983 Continuum is one of the world leading firm in the product innovation. Particularly, the name sanctions the new concept of design like an evolving connection among different disciplines that take part in the product development.

One of the key character in this firm is Valentina Ziliani, the strategy practice leader. Before working for Continuum, she did a 7 years experience in Lego Concept Lab. Now, she is in charge of discovering new connection among design, brand and business. According to her, those are to be thought as an unique value system that meets the needs of the people.

Another important employee is Fabio Di Liberto, the Product Innovation practice leader. Before arriving in Continuum, he worked for FutureBrand in New York where he used to define brand strategies even for multinational companies like Pepsi, GM, Gillette.

Recently, Continuum and they have been committed to Amplifon. In this case, they had to create a retail experience in order to unify the image of the firm all over the world and meet the customers'needs. That's wh they decided to immerge themselves in the reality of who enter a shop for deafs. For example, they made a survey among in different European countries. First of all, they have interviewed families, then observed the paths that people used to follow inside the stores.

Everything has been made in order to reduce the medical enviroment in favour of a more retail one. Not only does the shop have to answer to the requests of people, but also it has to offer a variety of products. That’s why the space has been designed as a storybook firstly, like an amount of perceptions and interactions. Then, the staff skills, interactive technologies, communications and the layout have been defined in a spacious, relaxing atmosphere. Finally, the furnish design has been created in order to facilitate the experience.

Everything has been projected in a tight collaboration between Continuum and Amplifon. For instance, Valentina and Fabio collaborated with Haluk Terzioglu, (chief Marketing executive) and with Daniela Pighini, (New Business Development) in Amplifon. In addition, they also considered the Team di Saatchi & Saatchi of London which was working with Amplifon to the new brand identity e campaign at the same time of the Continuum project.

Surprinsingly, Valentina and Fabio stated that the main contribution arrived from the social research. Particularly, they have verified the connection among the experience, the purchase and the aestethic of the store thanks to Milward Brown that tested this fact in Verona.

What has been mostly challenging for them was to find and communicate to the Amplifon executives the right innovation level: no technological excesses that might catch unprepared the elderly nor could be of difficult application on a graeat scale, catchy for the young folks.

Pierre Cardin fashion show

After almost ten years, Pierre Cardin decided to host a fashion show once again but at the Palais Bulles in the South of France.

YSL new scent for its shop

Paris's hottest new shopping destination is not a newly launched boutique, but a store that has been open for over 25 years. The Yves Saint Laurent Saint-Sulpice store on Paris's Left Bank has debuted a new interior, a collaboration between creative director Stefano Pilati and architects Alain Moatti and Henri Riviere.

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First opened in 1979, the store has seen a complete reinvention, described by YSL as 'functional luxe,' where even the scent of the air has been considered for the ultimate luxurious shopping experience. Taking a departure from the minimal landscape that characterises many modern-day designer boutiques, Pilati instead turned to an iconic YSL reference: Opium.

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Innovative touches include the use of ductal concrete; an environmentally friendly option, which reduces carbon emissions, and energy efficient lighting, add to the ecologically sensitive

project.

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A stunning setting to show off Pilati's designs, the store should be on the radar for any style conscious visitor to the city, whether to buy, or simply to marvel.

Two Apple store. One amazing exprience.

DigitalRev Store experience

Volemosebbene smart mob

The difference betwwen flash and smart mob is the organisation. That's why smart mobs are more used by advertising agencies than the uncontrollable flash mob.

Behind the scenes of the smart mob in Rome, there's Tim. It took place in Campo de Fiori and everyone had to gift something to others in the previous to S.Valentine's day. Tim offered 1000 wrapped pack and the luckiest 6 won a mobile.

The day was symbolical. Not only do people have to love eachother because of San Valentine's day, but in everyday day of their life.

Flash Mob in Shangai

Flash mob examples

The first recorded use of the term flash mob was in 2003 in a blog entry posted in the aftermath of Wasik's event. The term was inspired by the earlier term smart mob. Webster's New Millennium Dictionary of English defines flash mob as “a group of people who organize on the Internet and then quickly assemble in a public place, do something bizarre, and disperse.” The press has also used the term flash mob to refer a practice being used in China where groups of shoppers arrange online to meet at a store at the same time in order to drive a collective bargain with the store owner.

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Two are the most notable flash mobs: Pillow fight and Geocaching. Worldwide Pillow Fight Day (or International Pillow Fight Day) was a pillow fight flash mob that took place on March 22, 2008. Over 25 cities around the globe participated in the first "international flash mob", which was the world's largest flash mob to date. According to The Wall Street Journal, over 5,000 participants participated in New York City, overtaking London's 2006 Silent Disco gathering as the largest recorded flash mob. Word spread via social networking sites, including Facebook, Myspace, Wikipedia, private blogs, public forums, and personal websites. Participating cities included Beirut, Boston. Budapest, Chicago, Copenhagen, Dublin, Houston, Innsbruck, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Monterrey, New York City, Paris, Pécs, Shanghai, San Francisco, Stockholm, Sydney, Vancouver, Washington, D.C., Zurich.

The increasingly popular hobby of geocaching developed a twice/year event in 2007 called "World Wide Flash Mob", held in the spring and the fall. Players active in geocaching are encouraged to develop events that produce a quick flash mob complete with an event booth and group photo that instanly disperses after 15 minutes. A unique aspect is that these flash mob events occur simultaneously around the world at the same day and time (1:00-1:15 PM Eastern time and simultaneously in other times zones, i.e. in London it would be held at 6:00-6:15pm, in San Francisco it would be held at 10:00-10:15am, etc.).The next such event is scheduled to happen on November 8, 2008. As an example, four such simultaneous events are planned within the New York Metropolitan Area, in Valhalla, in Babylon, NY, in Edison, NJ, and in London, UK.

A brief history of Flash Mob

A flash mob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse.

Flash mobs, to use a terrible pun, were quite literally a flash-in-the-pan phenomenon. Created by a man known only by "Bill" in summer of 2003, they spread globally with rapid pace and died out almost completely by the winter of that same year. In the summer of 2005, flash mobs officially "sold out" so-to-speak, with Ford's "flash concerts" that promoted their latest model, the Fusion. This past March, Harper's magazine reflected upon the flash mob phenomenon and simultaneously revealed its inventor: Bill Wasik, who just happens to be the senior editor at Harper's.

The first attempt was unsuccessful after the targeted retail store was tipped off about the plan for people to gather. Wasik avoided such problems during the second flash mob. To begin the experiment, Wasik sent a simple email on May 27, 2003 to about 60 friends and acquaintances. The email was vague, forwarded to himself by himself from an unused email address. It asked people to synchronize their watches and meet in a given location in New York. To avoid looking staged, he asked people to approach from different directions based on their birth month. Further instructions were to be given at the site by a random person via a slip of paper. The first mob failed due to the police receiving knowledge about it, but the second, which took place in the rug department of Macy's, was a success. About 200 people came into Macy's and informed clerks that they were looking for a love rug for their commune that they all lived in and that they made all their purchase decisions as a group. Wired News wrote about it two days later, and the flash mob spread rapidly to other cities. Subsequently, 200 people flooded the lobby and mezzanine of the Hyatt hotel in synchronized applause for about fifteen seconds, and a shoe boutique in SoHo was invaded by participants pretending to be tourists on a bus trip. The New York Times, in an effort to have a leg up on the story that other newspapers didn't, predicted (correctly) a backlash to the flash mob sensation. Wasik suspected as much, although the Times had impeccable timing on the story.

Wasik revealed that it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, an attempt to make fun of hipster culture, and above all a social experiment designed to demonstrate the joining urge of human beings. He planned the lifespan of the flash mob in its entirety, from the first flash mob to its backlash, downfall, and subsequent commercialization. While the content of the flash mobs themselves was apolitical (the ones Wasik organized, at least, although they were definitely transformed into political protest by some), the lifespan of the flash mob speaks volumes about digital networking, the nature of the human herding instinct, and the commercialization of everything.

Get caught in a flashmob!

Sometime you can see a lot of people doing weird things on the streets in Milan. Surprisingly, you might be caught in a flashmob event.

While this mass event started spontaneously, nowadays it has became increasly a new marketing technique to launch new products.

The Flea Circus

Although waking up early on sundays morning is hard, the Flea Circus in via Malaga was worth it on the 5th of October.

The one in via Malaga was not the common second-hand flea market. Indeed, a lot of brand new brands (sorry for the pun) have been introduced, a lot of weird people got there and a lot of strange things happened. Despite some features of Oktober festival like sausages and low price beer, the organisers have done their best to make the party have a reasonable profile, like some installations and good products. Basically, have a good time is the soul of the party.

Mainly, the same people were there...only few out of a weird contest, the normal ones that you usually meet downtown. I wish one day also them would appreciate this rustic moments, hopefully as soon as possible. By that time, young folks'll have got grey and tired to create these amazing and different parties open to everyone.

Customer experience vs e-commerce

In relation to the previous post, here there are some more considerations about e-commerce vs real retail.

With all the investments and improvements within the last five years in redesigns, usability, analytics, multivariate testing, and the increases in broadband speed and availability, one might have expected significant improvements in bottom line. Yet, according to Shop.org, conversion rates are still hovering around 2.5%. Customers aren’t delighted.

Research by companies like Bazaarvoice, however, paints a different picture of the current “leveling off” in the e-business world. Their results indicate the problem doesn’t lie in the allure of the offline shopping experience, but in the failure of online stores to present a customer-focused shopping environment. In our experience, many of these sites also fall short of customer-focused excellence because they fail to effectively integrate with their offline counterparts.

Sam Decker, CMO of Bazaarvoice said, “According to customers, what were once ecommerce nice-to-haves are now table stakes. Easy checkout, product search and the right policies are as important as multi-channel integration and authentic user-generated content, such as ratings and reviews.The way customers research, shop and buy has evolved . Studies underscore the need for retailers to do the same and reconsider priorities.”

How much money do retailers leave on the desk?

A study conducted in 2007 clearly shows that online retailers are not capitalizing on the customer experience and are overly focused on innovation while ignoring the basics.

U.S. online retail sales will more than double over the next six years, reaching $316 billion by 2010, according to a new report from Forrester Research — they expect e-commerce will grow to account for 12 percent of total retail sales in 2010, up from nearly 7 percent in 2004.

Industry observers report that, since the advent of the Internet, online sales have increased overall by about 25% annually (“Online Sales Lose Steam,” The New York Times - June 17, 2007). But they also note that sales are leveling off as customers return to brick-and-mortar venues for a more satisfying shopping experience.

A similar Forrester study in April 2006 revealed that only 26% of online consumers were simply satisfied with their shopping experience. This suggests a whopping 74% — three-quarters of online shoppers — weren’t even satisfied. And what of the remaining 26%? They weren’t delighted. They were merely “satisfied.” In other words, the shopping experience was, at best, adequate. Are retailers in a race to see who can be the “most adequate”?

Diesel XXX party

Last night, Diesel had a party for its XXX

birthday. As this jeans' brand has always tried to rock the life of its customers, it wanted to do it again all over the world. Indeed, in 17 cities of the globe a multidisciplinar party was held.

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Acrobats, great djs, Vodka Absolut as a sponsor...everything for free, or maybe not. Basically, you had only to catch the invitation. How to do? Buy a special edition item in Diesel's shop, and you'll have it. So, are you sure to have taken part in a free event?

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By the way, free or not, who cares when you're part of thousands people, dancing in the shadows and above you there are flying people doing stunts instead of the poor ceiling of Studio 2000 in via Mecenate (Milan)?

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Nobody can forget the asthonishing party of last year in Bassano del Grappa (the base of Diesel) with Moby playing in the park. Nobody could never forget also the last night experience.

Well done again, Diesel!

Diesel XXX party in Hong Kong

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Diesel XXX party in Milan @Studio 2000

When a music genius meets a fashion empire

The Blason jewellery collection is designed by Pharrell Williams in collaboration with Camille Miceli for Louis Vuitton. This collection is a variation on four themes, in which the rhythm and energy of the new continent harmonize with the spirit of historic Europe.

waiting for DieselXXXparty: FlashMob

Waiting for the Diesel XXX party, let's rock the grey square in front of the Dom and the cold autumn.

Retail Design

Practically a lot has been said about retail experience in Milan,

but only a few theorically.

So, let's hear some experts discussing about retail design.

Annamaria Allegro is discovering Denmark's style

photos by Giulia Agostini

A wonderful blonde girl called Annamaria Allegro started bravely her own fashion business in 1989 after a long learning-by-doing experience.
Her shop distinguishes for a refined style thanks to her research of new brands not too much out of the way. Indeed, she sells mainly names that perform on the runways but not too much known as the ones whose commercials can be found on every magazine. Now, she is focussing on Denmark and the incredibly range of new designers that offers with new upcoming brands like St. Martin and Snob.
Customers extends from the affectionate to the “only to have look” ones. Despite the little displays and the narrow space, everyone feels to have found an akin taste in Annamaria’s choice. That’s why they are always back.

Annamaria Allegro

Via Col di Lana

Milano

Kiehl's case study

In 2006 Kielh's skin care store opened in Corso di Porta Ticinese its experience shop, even though his history started in 1851 in Manhattan as a pharmacy. From then on, it has spread all over the world through the commercial network of L'Oreal-luxury division. And 2 years ago, it arrived here in Milan with its first space in Italy.

Although the brand now belongs to this commercial one, Kielh's has never forget his qualitative tradition and productive ethic. Indeed, a heightened sensibility for social matters distinguishes this brand, like childhood and the manteinance of ancient city areas. That's why it celebrates the first italian shop with a charity project dedicated to children of OBM (Children's Hospital of Milan "V.Buzzi") and a photographic exhibit on the history of Corso di Porta Ticinese zone. Moreover, a lounge area and a cofee bar have been introduced to welcome everyone. To make the matter even better, a historical tram of 1928 will show all the city to the customers for free.

Kiehl's

Corso di Porta Ticinese

Milan

Colourful light

photos by Giulia Agostini&Yulissa Aranibar Espinoza

A lot of time a little detail makes the difference of a big event or of an everyday experience, at least.

When I was in R&Dlab showroom in Milan, I saw this particular object in the room. Indeed, this one enables the variation of the colour of the light in all the variations.

If you are fed up of your white-yellow sparkling bulb in your bedroom, you should look for it, and I suggest it to all the shops who want to let their customers live the purchasing moment as a unique experience in their life.

Vietnamonamour: a piece of Far-East in Milan

photos by Giulia Agostini

Lately, Far-East has approached increasily in our cities. Although Milan has welcomed asiatic culture for ages, it has gained dignity in the latest years. Indeed, a lot of people from Turkey to Korea has started their own business dropping a long-lasting slavery condition.

Also a vietnamese woman run a cute shop near Piazza 24 maggio called Vietnamonamour. Whereas she was looking for a job in Milan, she decided to create her own position. Then, she recall her roots, contacted local vietnamese handcratsmen and started making deals with a B2B formula with them.

Pre, during and post purchase service is relevant and fundamental here. As some of her clients stated, the high-quality and textile rarety of her clothes distiguish her brand. And the kindness of Arabella, the shop -assistant, makes the difference.

Everything in the shop recalls Vietnam, from the interior design to the perfume of the air. Even the overwhelmed amount of dresses reminds you of the ourdoor market which Marco Polo described about, of being no more in an italian context but in a multicultural and exchanging society.

Vietnamonamour

Via Col di Lana n°2
Tel. 0283241539
vietnamonamour@fastwebnet.it
http://www.vietanmonamour.com/

Wok and Henrik Vibskov in "The Tent City"

photos by Giulia Agostini

music by Trentemoller

Enrik Vibskov’s new collection arrived in Milan from Denmark on the 25th of September. While most part of the city was rushing runway to runway for the fashion week, Wok shop was having a rest and a great party in order to introduce this Danish dj (Trentemoller) in the capacity of a designer.

Besides that, our curiosity is on Wok. Although Milan is well-known to be the most innovative city in Italy, two girls called Federica and Simona decided to bring in the city that kind of fashion clothes which missed in the city. Before Wok, people were compelled to go abroad to buy something out of the mainstream of Made in Italy. That’s why they left their work as a designer and started to run this surprising store in Via Col di Lana.

The project, the idea behind the object is the decisional key of Federica and Simona. How the brand is communicated, the concept, the visual impact, that’s what affects their displays. And the interior design is as impressive as their products.

Being remarkable, out of b&w tones of the city and spread colours are other points, and not less important at all. That’s why they create powerful events to launch new lines with enthusiastic compliments of the affectionate customers. That’s why they define continuously their style in order to satisfy their insatiable clients. That’s why now you can buy their items online also at Far-fetch, as their helpful shop-assistant referred.

Wok store
(Apparel_art)
5/A via Col di Lana
20136 Milano
tel: 0289829700
http://www.wok-store.com/
info@personal-order.com

Miss you, Trentemoller

Someone has talked about Retail Experience in Milan

photos from Adidas'archive

Two days ago, a workshop about retail experience was organised by Ispira in collaboration with Domus Academy. Surprisingly, it sounded an upcoming marketing strategy. And what have I written about for two weeks? About retail experience- it seems to me. Actually, I’m not a foreseer, I am only someone who travels a lot and pays attention to what happens around.

By the way, this meeting was really interesting and beware of the main features of this communicational change. Before entering a shop, current customers are able to see collections in thousand ways through blogs or online stores previews. This aspect enhances not only a new relationship between the client and the object, but also between client and client. Indeed, they can leave comments and suggest eachothers. In a nutshell , this is what Luca Peruzzi explained, Ispira's excutive, an italian firm specialised in Retail consulting.

Retail experience seems to have replace the brand addiction because it allows a direct experience customer to customer. For example, main retailing chains in Uk like Topshop and Selfridges propose mottos like fun-life-fashion and have mass events in their mall every week, as Tom Ridley (top executive) stated.

These days shops have to offer an entire purchasing experience from the pre to the post retail to face the low consumption crisis.

February & MelodyMaker

photos by Giulia Agostini

Moving from design to business: that’s what has been happening to February and Melody Maker. Indeed, they have replaced their design studio with a proper clothes shop and they had a great party for this occasion on the 25th September 2008.

Marika+Lucio (February) and Flavio (Melody Maker) have always desired a closer relationship with their customers. Since the time they were attending school, they have dreamt of running a space where they could have an immediate feedback of their works.

Random is their keyword. That’s why pure instinct rules their concept. Basically, nothing predictable, nothing already-made and designed might exist in their space. Therefore, the interior design hasn’t a specific rule. Everything has to run its course as their lives has done.

So, they have never asked themselves whether they are unique. Mainly, they don’t ask for it. “If someone is like us, well, maybe they are only on our wavelength” told me Flavio.
Last question: “How does a customer feel in this place?”, Flavio replied: “ extremely relaxed…let’s see, we have just started”.

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February&MelodyMaker

Via Tortona n°5

Milan (Italy)

info@february.it

i: dress out of the box

photos by Giulia Agostini

It seems to be impossible that as a so normal person as Sergio Dal Bressa could design such a shop like "i" in via Tortona 12.

Basically, "i" is parallel to the mainstream system. As he saw the possibilities of a new fashion market, he decided to open a store oriented to a different kind of customers. Indeed, his clients are not fashion victims, fast-fashion buyers or vintage and revival characters but rather someone who is looking for something new, unexpected and personal.

Research, surprise and personality are the guideline. That's why each part of the store is personalised from the lightining to the texture of the floor, even though it seems to be minimalistic.

After this experience in via Tortona, Sergio made up to open in few days in Corso di Porta Ticinese a new shop based on the concept of "i". The problem seems to find a good name: some suggestions?

i
via Tortona 12
20144 Milano
i.milanotortona@yahoo.com