The path leads through sand dunes into a tunnel full of magic, until the customer suddenly finds himself in an ultra-modern fashion store full of hip sneakers and sportswear. A combination of physical and digital: in other words, a phygital shopping experience. Why the spectacle? Because phygital is simply ingenious.
The fourth flagship of the Presentedby Group recently opened in Doha. This is a streetwear label from London, which has already opened similar stores in its home city as well as in Paris and Dubai. So now it’s Doha’s turn, and for good reason. The Middle East continues to be an extremely interesting market strategy for Western stores, because demand is high here and so is the volume of purchases. But because normal stores are now boring for customers and therefore more difficult to keep, completely new furnishing and design concepts are coming into play here. Ones that surprise, fascinate and seem almost utopian.
A very special phygital shopping experience with design
A store concept that perfectly combines cultural and digital design elements is rarely found in a shopping mall or shopping street. The main reason for this is the effort that the operators have to put in up to the opening and long after. However, the operators at Presentedby are convinced that this effort is worthwhile. Sneakers will be sold on the very specially designed sales floor, mainly in the premium and limited edition segment. In the future, 250 square meters of sales space will be available for this purpose. And they will be well filled, not only with shoes, streetwear and accessories, but also with all kinds of special items. Like sand dunes. What they suddenly do in a store reflects the cultural experience. The designers take typical elements of the environment and use them to create the interior of the store in a virtual way.
Phygital design attracts
Dunes are by no means the only digital element here. As soon as you enter the store, it becomes clear that a lot is different here. First, you walk through a tunnel before the actual sales area opens up. This is complemented by a 3D construction of waves on the ceiling and walls, which are equipped with LED lighting. From the outside, oversized dunes also await, with a 5-meter-high sandstorm raging above them. Powerwalls make this effect possible and whet the appetite of passing shoppers to discover what lies behind the exciting facade. And then finally, through the canyon reminiscent of the mountains of the desert state, the eye catches sight of all the precious editions of high-quality sportswear.
Phygital shopping experience of a special kind
And as if that weren’t exciting enough on its own, a so-called Experience Room also awaits, naturally also equipped with state-of-the-art 3D technology. With changing lighting and advertising effects against the backdrop of Doha’s desert landscape, the dynamic room is fully equipped with all the tools needed to make the shopping experience even more immersive, even more exciting, even more rewarding. Here, operators have the opportunity at any time to appropriately highlight special offers or highlights of the store on huge installations. Hologram technology is used for this purpose, which even makes it possible for visitors to become part of the entire installation. So shopping on a whole new level.
What there is
Some visitors may ask themselves the question: What is the point of all this effort? Well, to highlight the special features of the products on offer, to be different from the competition and to be remembered by customers. Then it’s not just, “I experienced and visited this and that in Doha, but I went shopping and you won’t believe the business there!” That’s what makes a state-of-the-art phygital shopping experience so appealing, an example of how it can also work in these times to entice customers and give them a very special show. Not entirely inexpensive to purchase and implement, but well worth it for all those who advertise the “special” and like to convey this to the customer: a phygital shopping experience.
Image copyright: philipus
