EMBRACE
EMBRACE THE CITY EMBRACE THE PEOPLE EMBRACE THE ADVENTURE
STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION 2014 STORE DESIGN
EMBRACE: The beauty of a marketplace comes in its innate ability to capture the spirit of the city and immerse the community within it. In order for REI to truly be a market-concept retailer, it should fully embrace its surroundings and company philosophies; using them to deliver an authentic, experiential shopping adventure. DC is a city teeming with millennials, giving REI a unique opportunity to unveil new technologies and design concepts to a fresh, eager audience. By focusing on the city, people, and adventure, Embrace works to emulate both the District of Columbia and the nature contained within it. It creates a balance between existing customer expectations and new customer desires. And it embodies the REI brand by the incorporation of the adventurous spirit that each REI customer has.
REI as a DC-centric marketplace focused on inclusional & experiential shopping
MARKET DIVISIONS CREATING INDIVIDUAL SHOPS
DC PLANNING
SHOPPING PATH VISUAL CUES
Footwear
Outerwear Kids
Water & Ski
Cycle
Bike Garage
To tie the marketplace back to the city, inspiration is taken from DC’s city planning and streetscape. A central boulevard from the each entrance leads to a middle circle containing the commons, which consists of an educational center, gear swap/rental station, and community engagement & interaction space. From this community circle, paths radiate out to in-shop areas housing opportunities for gear information and testing, including a bike track, scaffolding climbing structure, kayak trampoline tester, and tent setup station.
As the market divisions and DC planning come together, they create separate shop-in-shops connected to the community space via defined paths reminiscent of a DC metro map. To keep the shops as accessible and open as possible, divisions between shops are primarily visual, created with existing columns, flooring material transitions, and ceiling elements. This allows for views of all surrounding merchandise while still clearly defining where different product is located. The testing circles vary in size based on their function.
EMBRACE
STORE LAYOUT
Camp
To create a marketplace store for REI, the floor plan is divided into individualized shops on the outside ring. Shop adjacencies are determined by REI’s three types of merchandise and listing of importance, with Cycle and Camp right at the entrance. Along with those, Apparel and Outerwear become the largest shops based on proportional ratios to previous REI stores, with the rest of the shops taking on a smaller form. Shop divisions are created within the overall store based on the existing column grid and the adjacencies diagram.
NATURE: URBANIZED
RADIATING CENTRAL NODES
Apparel
FitnessClimb
EMBRACE
CHOREOGRAPHED ADVENTURING
Apparel Fitness
Climb
Camp
Footwear
Bike Garage
Outerwear
A central commons area houses a community education center and a renting/trading post
Kids
Water & Ski Cycle
Individual shop circles act as designated product testing zones throughout the store
Product vignettes at each storefront act as “window displays” showcasing REI product
TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATION STAYING CURRENT WITH TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT DEVIATING FROM THE BRAND TO ENGAGE MILLENNIAL CUSTOMERS
ADVENTURE REGISTRY
By adding scan tags to in-store products & displays, shoppers can scan the items that they are interested in for more information on skill level, reviews, and pricing. From there, they can add those items to their mobile cart, making it easy to shop for large items or a size that is not available on the floor. When the shopper is finished, they are able to check out on their phone. The store receives the receipt and collects all of the items purchased from back of house, delivering them to the customer in the commons area.
1440 PROJECT
The 1440 Project is a fantastic way for REI to connect consumers to the brand by giving them an outlet to share their adventures with fellow customers. In an era where people are constantly capturing, editing, and uploading photos all through their smartphone, adding the 1440 Project feature to the REI app would make the process of sharing adventure that much easier. The mobile feature would also add the potential for customers to converse about gear used and places traveled, adding an additional layer of connection.
EMBRACE
THE REI APP
COMM. ENGAGEMENT
REI offers a wide variety of activities for members and non-members alike; making these accessible through the REI app would provide additional advertising for the various ways to become more connected to REI. Customers would also have the option to receive phone notifications for events, allowing them to personalize the information they are receiving. This would be much more effective for the millennial generation, who generally are a lot less connected to email and are constantly connected to their mobile technology.
activities
3
experience level
# of people
MICHAEL S.
THE CURRENT CUSTOMER
EMBRACE
As an experienced hiker and cyclist, Michael appreciates being able to test new, high-end gear before investing in it
12
Valuing human interaction over technology, Michael prefers to use the traditional cash wrap to interact with an REI Green Vest
ity A vaulted ceiling speaks to traditional DC architecture, while imagery of DC adventures inspire shoppers entering the store eople Market storefronts with crossmerchandising window displays showcase new product and combinations to active customers dventure The National Mall central feature is a combination of displays and seating, allowing shoppers to interact with both product and people
3
Mr. and Mrs. Truman test their gear on the industrial scaffolding structure located in REI’s Climb section
activities
2
experience level
# of people
THE TRUMANS
THE MILLENNIAL
EMBRACE
The Trumans start their shopping trip by scanning bikes for more information before adding them to the mobile cart
1
ity Coffered concrete and corrugated steel create marketplace storefronts and speak to some of the architectural materials of DC eople Graphics with product information and QR codes make finding new products simple by utilizing the customer’s smart phone dventure Central shop testing features give millennial shoppers who typically purchase online a reason to leave the website and stop by the store
activities
23
experience level
# of people
SAMMY T. & CO.
THE CASUAL ADVENTURER
EMBRACE
Upon entry, the group is drawn in with the National Mall center display and ceiling leading to the rental shop
1
Rental packages with graphics indicating number of people, skill level, and scan codes help the group to choose their gear
ity An antique map of DC depicting its original radial planning is screened onto a brick surface, creating a textured informational wall eople Green Vests are available to customers interested in renting or purchasing used gear who need help planning their adventure dventure Used gear available for purchase is showcased on a wood wall, inspiring customers to get out and plan their own adventure
Embrace is engaging the diverse community that is the District of Columbia. New shopping methodologies make for a more dynamic, interactive experience when making a purchase at REI, strengthening the allure of a brick and mortar store in an increasingly digital era. Embrace encompasses the adventurous spirit and passion for the outdoors through an urban filter, much like the District itself. The idea of an urbanized nature is reflective in design elements and features that create a shopping experience to be enjoyed by REI newcomers and experts alike.
So adventure on, explorers, and let us be the ones to inspire, educate, and outfit you.