What: WS Development’s president Samantha David and Clot’s co-founder and creative director Edison Chen discuss using retail stores as community spaces.

Why is it important: Retailers are encouraging a sense of community, which emerges as an increasingly part of successful physical retail strategies. Whether evidenced through representative store design with visual storytelling that reflects the neighbourhood in which the store sits to encourage local engagement, or events that foster loyalty among consumers for whom social activities are an important differentiating factor.

Prioritise the place over purchase

SD: When we think about building a place, it makes a lot more sense to think about where somebody wants to spend their time and not where they necessarily want to spend their dollars. I think you create much deeper bonds and deeper loyalty. We actually launched in the Seaport in Boston a collection of tiny [stores] called The Current. Some are 200 square feet, and it forces creativity. There is usually one person in there, so it forces a connection.

EC: If someone walks into our store, it’s important for them to feel included in the community that we’re trying to build. [We ask] what do local people want to see. And that leads to a discussion [about] the way that the interior is designed, like in LA, it’s a heavy art gallery vibe, and in Shanghai, it’s like an old traditional Chinese pagoda village. So I definitely think that the curation of each store is heavily reliant on local culture and local needs.

Learn about the local communities and cultures

SD: I certainly know I don’t want to walk into a store or a mall and have them all feel the same. [In] different neighbourhoods, in different communities, each one is completely distinct, and whenever we buy a property, the first thing we do is just listen.

EC: From city to city, the culture is very different, and [it’s about] trying to really accommodate and accentuate what the locals are feeling or what they’re going through or what is trending. Retail nowadays isn’t just about a sale, especially as more people shop online and [a] store is just an area for people to understand what you as a company are representing.

Foster a company culture for employee and consumer loyalty

EC: The type of person that we want to work with is someone that isn’t jaded and someone that is willing to admit that they can still learn every day. Having people who understand the nature and the culture that we represent makes it a lot easier for us to send out the troops and have them navigate and search for these people.

SD: I think that our tribe is what distinguishes our places and similarly, with a great retailer, you walk in and you meet a person who’s passionate about that place. If we can’t find somebody to do a job [...] we just pitch in until we can find that superstar player, instead of settling.

This is a sponsored feature paid for by WS Development as part of a BoF partnership.

Optimising the Store as a Community Hub