© BD PERIPHERIQUE / BE IN OPEN / TEXTS ON FASHION ISSUE 1
ON VISUAL
MERCHANDISING
IN RETAIL
MERCHANDISING
IN RETAIL
THE TEAM OF TSVETNOY CENTRAL MARKET HAS TOLD US ABOUT A VISUAL CONCEPT AND A MERCHANDISING STRATEGY OF THEIR SHOPPING MALL
TEXTS ON FASHION
In order to stay competitive, a retailer must remain up-to-date. What is an up-to-date department store, in your opinion?
Modern department stores shall be able to adapt to changes and be managed by a competent team. You may have great leadership qualities, but if you want your store to be up-to-date, it will require a deep understanding of the industry and a skill to define when and what stock to release.
In addition, the visual component is equally important. You can apply all promotion tools, try all interaction formats, even make of federal channels, but, if the mall lacks a proper content, customers will not stay. The interest to your store must be constantly stimulated, preferably not with rewards like discounts and bonuses, but rather with products that people would want to spend money on.
There are many things that gain on popularity. However, do not get carried away with ultrafashionable trends, like some young brand do: think of commercial part, as a department store is a business.
In addition, the visual component is equally important. You can apply all promotion tools, try all interaction formats, even make of federal channels, but, if the mall lacks a proper content, customers will not stay. The interest to your store must be constantly stimulated, preferably not with rewards like discounts and bonuses, but rather with products that people would want to spend money on.
There are many things that gain on popularity. However, do not get carried away with ultrafashionable trends, like some young brand do: think of commercial part, as a department store is a business.
THE STORY OF A BRAND IS BEST CONVEYED BY ITS GARMENTS. IT USED TO BE APPLICABLE ONLY TO COMPLEX, PREMIUM AND COUTURE BRANDS, BUT, WITH THE ONSET OF THE TREND FOR PERSONALIZATION AND INDIVIDUALISM, MASS-MARKET BRANDS, LIKE TOPSHOP, ALSO STARTED TO RELY ON THIS TECHNIQUE
It may sound like boasting, but we are one of the most visually thought-out projects in Russia. An important point is that a good store is not the one that looks attractive, but the one that is properly designed in terms of customer flows and ergonomic so that different people feel comfortable together. To arrange it right, managers shall work in dialogue with shop assistants, as they work on the floor and know customers behaviours and feedback. In addition to that, an independent research on customer flows may also be needed. These data is essential for development of a robust visual concept of the retail space.
People come to the store not only for its beauty, but also for services, communication, and products; that is why, Tsvetnoy combines both aesthetics and functionality. Sometimes artists may afford beauty for the sake of beauty, but this is definitely not our case.
People come to the store not only for its beauty, but also for services, communication, and products; that is why, Tsvetnoy combines both aesthetics and functionality. Sometimes artists may afford beauty for the sake of beauty, but this is definitely not our case.
And yet, the visual aesthetics of a retail space has to be modern. For several years in a row, the aesthetics of Vetements has dominated the market. What will replace it?
A department store incorporates so many concepts that we simply have no desire to believe that certain aesthetics can prevail in the market, or in the domain of ideas.
We must admit the influence of Demna Gvasalia's brand on the entire fashion discourse, but we have never limited ourselves to this concept. Therefore, we are not talking about the end of the Vetements era. The brand has fit well into the context and, most likely, its aesthetics will remain. The fashion industry has gone through the changes that cannot be undone or ignored as if they never happen.
We must admit the influence of Demna Gvasalia's brand on the entire fashion discourse, but we have never limited ourselves to this concept. Therefore, we are not talking about the end of the Vetements era. The brand has fit well into the context and, most likely, its aesthetics will remain. The fashion industry has gone through the changes that cannot be undone or ignored as if they never happen.
What department stores should we follow to keep track of the new trends?
We have a few favourites: everyone knows Dover Street Market and Opening Ceremony, larger Le Bon Marché, female and thoroughly elaborated La Garconne and our personal favourite L'Eclaireur.
How quickly does your audience pick up new trends? How often do you deal with a situation when by the time a new item gets to the store, sophisticated fashion fans are already demanding something even more recent?
Our audience is really special in this regard. We have spent a lot of time and effort to create this special environment and an engaged and demanding clientele. So, it is a challenge for us in a certain sense. But we know our customers: we share the same love to fashion and meanings behind it; we try not only to keep up with them, but to anticipate their desires.
OUR CLIENTS HAVE LEARNED TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN SINCERITY AND FAKE AND WILL READILY BUY THE TRUE STORY AND IGNORE A SIMULATION.
Customers of Tsvetnoy are a conventional upper middle class. What do they usually choose?
Our audience has a high level of loyalty: some people have been coming here for many years; based on that, we shape our own agenda. The Tsvetnoy team monitors all the players in the fashion industry and creates a unique landscape of the mall. The stock found on each floor is our vision of how the Tsvetnoy customers would want to express themselves through clothes. We focus on personalization, because clothes are also a way of communicating with the outside world. We think of our customers' demands and add new position to the brand-list. Besides, we place great emphasis on personal care and make up products, as our consumers like to keep daily beauty rituals.
What products are most in demand at the moment?
For the first floor, these are Apple products and selective perfumery, for example, Byredo, Le Labo, Diptyque, Kilian. For the second floor, these are Adidas and Puma sneakers, hoodies and long sleeve T-shirts, for example, Walk of Shame. The main items of the third floor this season include the Calvin Klein Andy Warhol collection, the 12storeez base and the French Sandro and Maje dresses, as well as the All Saints leather jacket. Our fourth floor attracts the fans of conceptual brands, who usually leave with a pair of No One shoes, several Comme des Garcons iconic items from the Air Moscow corner and Prada, Dior, Fendi, Yohji Yamamoto, or DITA glasses from the Ochki Boutique.
What is the concept behind the spatial arrangement of Tsvetnoy?
At Tsvetnoy, we follow the policy of division by floors, not by departments. As for the clothes, the second floor is occupied by streetwear brands, the third is allocated for Girly Grunge, and the fourth is used for conceptual and avant-garde brands.
The selection is led by the principle of synergy among brands. On each floor, our customers can find their ideal product of a desired colour, style and price. If they have not come across it in a corner, it must be in the next section.
The selection is led by the principle of synergy among brands. On each floor, our customers can find their ideal product of a desired colour, style and price. If they have not come across it in a corner, it must be in the next section.
How can the brand story be broadcasted in a retail space? Can a retailer become part of that story?
The story of a brand is best conveyed by its garments. It used to be applicable only to complex, premium and couture brands, but, with the onset of the trend for personalization and individualism, mass-market brands, like Topshop, also started to rely on this technique. However, T-shirts with inscriptions are not nearly enough, the time of straightforward manifestos has passed and we can all take a sigh of relief. This format of work is regarded as something a little extra rather than a serious marketing ploy. Finding your own style, being noticed and heard in the noise of the industry has become even more challenging.
And here we approach the most interesting part: brands are obsessed with storytelling, just as much as with onmicanality; and a storytelling requires a having a story in first place. Our clients have learned to distinguish between sincerity and fake and will readily buy the true story and ignore a simulation. So now new designers who just want to do "something cool", while having no clue about their objectives and offer, will not be able to share their story in offline sales or on the web.
In our department store, brands have a freedom to decide over the way they are represented. We just assist them based on our vision of how it should look like in an ideal Universe. We do not need to set any rules, because we do not work with just any brands: these are our partners who have already collaborated with us or who have been specifically invited.
Every season we think over the selection and positioning of the brands and design a seasonal campaign. The main and, perhaps, the most important manifesto of the upcoming season for us is a reference to subcultures and namely the aesthetics of the raves of the 90s and today's underground techno parties which we all have been through. Subcultures form an important part of the global culture and contemporary art and find reflection in fashion that refers to their aesthetics now and then. It would have been wrong for our department store to ignore this trend. Conscious consumption for the sake of self-expression — this is how our department store sees its motto for the upcoming season. The creative team of Tsvetnoy has synthesized the experience of the 90s generation to create an extraordinary visual product that illustrates our vision of today's fashion. This vision is broadcasted by all means available in the department store.
And here we approach the most interesting part: brands are obsessed with storytelling, just as much as with onmicanality; and a storytelling requires a having a story in first place. Our clients have learned to distinguish between sincerity and fake and will readily buy the true story and ignore a simulation. So now new designers who just want to do "something cool", while having no clue about their objectives and offer, will not be able to share their story in offline sales or on the web.
In our department store, brands have a freedom to decide over the way they are represented. We just assist them based on our vision of how it should look like in an ideal Universe. We do not need to set any rules, because we do not work with just any brands: these are our partners who have already collaborated with us or who have been specifically invited.
Every season we think over the selection and positioning of the brands and design a seasonal campaign. The main and, perhaps, the most important manifesto of the upcoming season for us is a reference to subcultures and namely the aesthetics of the raves of the 90s and today's underground techno parties which we all have been through. Subcultures form an important part of the global culture and contemporary art and find reflection in fashion that refers to their aesthetics now and then. It would have been wrong for our department store to ignore this trend. Conscious consumption for the sake of self-expression — this is how our department store sees its motto for the upcoming season. The creative team of Tsvetnoy has synthesized the experience of the 90s generation to create an extraordinary visual product that illustrates our vision of today's fashion. This vision is broadcasted by all means available in the department store.
How has the design of the corners changed in recent years?
Normally we establish a close cooperation with the brand project teams, not just provide some technical support during commissioning of the corner. So today each floor features compatible corners, which gives the space its seamless integrity from the visual point of view.
We are very lucky with the building. It was designed by Yuri Grigoryan, one of the most talented architects of our time. Its spatial structure enabled setting a layout different from a typical department store.
The Tsvetnoy interior is designed simple, minimalistic, and balanced, so the corners are combined into a single large retail space.
We try to avoid complex shapes in favour of more comprehensible, transparent structures and formats. Great emphasis is placed on the products themselves: they are top-notch and there is no need to divert people's attention from them. It is great when brands are not afraid to use bright colours to create a certain atmosphere in the department store in festive periods. In general, white and neat clean lines prevail in the design. It is important for us that all guests of our department store could feel the space and easily navigate in it.
We are very lucky with the building. It was designed by Yuri Grigoryan, one of the most talented architects of our time. Its spatial structure enabled setting a layout different from a typical department store.
The Tsvetnoy interior is designed simple, minimalistic, and balanced, so the corners are combined into a single large retail space.
We try to avoid complex shapes in favour of more comprehensible, transparent structures and formats. Great emphasis is placed on the products themselves: they are top-notch and there is no need to divert people's attention from them. It is great when brands are not afraid to use bright colours to create a certain atmosphere in the department store in festive periods. In general, white and neat clean lines prevail in the design. It is important for us that all guests of our department store could feel the space and easily navigate in it.