Huawei to spend £10m opening three new experience stores in the UK
Despite the government’s ban on the use of Huawei’s 5G equipment in the UK, this news is not slowing down Huawei’s plan to continue its expansion into the UK retail market. Huawei is planning to open three more UK retail locations following their Wembley, London store which opened this year - including Stratford, London in October 2020, followed by Manchester in February 2021, and a third London experience store in 2021. Huawei said the purpose of these new “Huawei Experience Stores” is to enable customers to engage and interact with a range of Huawei products. This long-term expansion plan represents Huawei’s confidence in the UK market.
Shoppers demand a ‘touchless’ retail experience
In research from future retail agency, Outform, the demand for a safer shopper experience has grown since the coronavirus pandemic, with consumers seeking to avoid physical interactions with products within retail environments. Welcome technology integrations to aid the touchless experience includes, voice-activation, augmented reality try-ons, mobile-activated self-checkout options, motion-sensor technology and the use of beacon and QR code mobile interactions. This provides retailers with new and engaging ways to interact with their customers in-store.
Paris Welcomes Nike House of Innovation
Nike opens its third House of Innovation, on Champs-Élysées in Paris, where it continues to harness the power of digital and design to best serve consumers with personalised and digitally-connected shopping journeys. Over four floors, Nike Paris, House of Innovation 002 gives unparalleled access to Nike’s best innovations, athlete storytelling and experiences, offering an immersive and digitally-powered end-to-end consumer journey.
House of Innovation in Paris reinforces four areas of focus: uniting shoppers to a global community of sport, serving women with our most innovative product and services, creating more opportunities for children to get active and designing a more seamless end-to-end consumer experience.
Samsung open doors to new experience store
Earlier this month, Samsung opened its newest customer engagement digital playground in Bristol’s Cabot Circus, where shoppers can play, learn and discover as part of Samsung's extensive rollout of ‘experience stores’ across the UK.
Multi-sensory light installation at Auckland Live Fringe Town
A pre-pandemic shout out to award-winning lighting designer Rachel Marlow, at Filament Eleven 11, who created the hauntingly beautiful immersive lighting and audio installation titled ‘Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle’ which took place over four days during ‘Auckland Live Fringe Town’ within Auckland Town Hall Concert Chamber. Audiences - who were limited to 20 per show - moved around the space as the journey evolved and propelled them through the experience: sound, lighting and imaginations working together to evoke a series of thrilling individual experiences.
Read more about the evolving retail experience at our recent blog, The Retail Renaissance, where we explore how brands can transition from the middle ages to modernity whilst keeping the spark alive between store and customer.
Image Credit: Retail Focus