A small but mighty band of australian e-tailers are expanding into bricks-and-mortar retailing. Melinda Oliver discovers how one online player is planning to translate its visual merchandising strategy into the ‘real world’.
Australian e-tailer The Grand Social is set to move into a bricks and mortar presence, with a new Sydney store called Edition due to open its doors next week.
Designed by architect Tomek Archer, it will serve as a physical extension of the multi-label e-boutique, which stocks independent Australian brands such as Nicola Finetti, Romance Was Born and Alpha 60. Co-director Nick Gower says the concept, located on Crown Street in Darlinghurst, will fuse fashion, art exhibitions and business within the 65 square metre space.
“We hope that visitors to Edition will be interested and engaged, without feeling driven by sales,” Gower says. A key consideration for the team has been translating The Grand Social’s online visual merchandising strategy into the tangible retail experience, whilst retaining a sense of brand cohesion between both formats.
“We’ve learned a lot about online retail – merchandising, pricing, customer service etc. – but we’re aware that this venture is an entirely new game, with an entirely different set of obstacles,” he says.
“Visual merchandising for online can take place with many products at one time. This also comes with the need to provide customers with as many detailed images as possible to enable them to shop confidently. This is different in a physical store – and our small space is vastly different.”
The Grand Social website has a black, white and grey palette, with vivid fashion photography and product images within the deeper layers of the site. Similarly, Edition will be monochromatic and sparse, to serve as a clean canvas for fashion, Archer says.
“We stripped back the existing building to its bones, exposing the concrete floor and removing all decorative trims, carpets and details,” he says.
“Then we just put a few robust essentials back, in the form of classic architectural materials, such as steel, glass, timber and glazed tiles.”
Archer says hanging rails made with raw steel will suspend from the ceiling to leave the floor and walls uncluttered. White, utilitarian subway-style tiles will feature, along with washed-denim curtains which drop from the ceiling in a circular manner to form change rooms.
Online, clothes are presented under category icons, such as ‘men’, ‘women’ or ‘sale’, or under brand labels. In the physical store, just a few styles from each apparel brand will be presented, with an emphasis on unique, one-off looks that are best tried on before purchase. Products will be displayed according to trend and colours, rather than grouped by item or brand.
“Edition is all about an edit of products: carefully curated stock that doesn’t feel cramped with the primary goal being aesthetics,” Gower says. “It’s clearly different to online in this way, which is important to us.”
Archer explains that clothes will hang both front- and side-on, with black hangers used. Folded items will appear on shelves, which will sit at eye level and above. A glass-top bench with a sliding drawer will display jewellery and accessories.
Scarves, bags, belts and shoes will also be integrated into temporary displays throughout the store, with mannequins used to present full outfit ensembles. Apparel and window displays will be changed regularly to maintain customer interest and encourage repeat visits.
“We will also be changing art exhibitions over monthly, so this will influence how the retail aspects of the space are presented,” he says.
An iPad will be docked centrally, so walk-in customers can access The Grand Social online, encouraging association between the two stores, Archer says.
“The experience and potential of the space was to be left open to the imagination. It should feel like something else could happen here – something we didn’t prescribe.”