Unlock your Creative Brain - 3 Techniques for Business Owners
For a bricks and mortar store to not only survive but thrive in this world of online shopping, it needs to reinvent itself as a destination store. A place where people are entertained, amazed and engaged in a way that goes beyond a simple transaction.
Humans are craving in-person, immersive experiences and this is why experiential shopping and event marketing is rated as one of the most successful marketing tactics amongst industry leaders.
In my blog where I explained about Experiential Shopping and why it’s so important, I gave the examples of the ‘town centre’ table arrangements at the Apple store, and so the challenge for you is to figure out what is your version of the Apple store. It doesn’t have to be that big but until you set your mind to work on coming up with ideas, you’re not going to set yourself apart.
In this blog, I’m going to give you some techniques to get your creative brain working on how to come up with amazing ideas for your own retail store, whether that’s for experiential shopping, marketing campaigns, seasonal events or anything else where you need to think outside the box .
HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH IDEAS?
So, the big question is, how do you replicate these iconic experiential shopping journeys in your bricks and mortar store? How can you transform your space into a destination store that encourages your customers to interact with the products and engage with your brand like they do for these big brands that you know so well? How can you give them such an amazing experience that as they walk out the door, their first instinct is to tell their friends but their second one is to look forward to coming back?
In the case of experiential shopping, for example, some businesses lend themselves far more easily than others to integrating experiential shopping techniques. Think of cosmetic counters where customers are encouraged to test the products on their own skin, there are sometimes even make-up artists talking them through it. Or an Apple store where large tables are laid out like a ‘town square’ so that customers can test products with others around them, encouraging them to chat to others and linger more than they would if they were just on their own or just in and out with a quick purchase.
What is your version of this? It can be tricky to come up with ideas so you might have to flex your creative muscles.
Creativity is fundamental to differentiating yourself in a crowded market, it transforms a retail store from a simple store to a destination store. Creativity is what sells the brand story and it’s creativity that is the engine of experiential shopping which engages customers and fosters long term loyalty.
Just like any other muscle in your body though, the creative muscle needs to be exercised. The more you work it, the better it gets so I thought I would share my favourite techniques for getting my creative juices flowing.
MY TOP 3 WAYS TO GET INSPIRATION:
Method 1: A Mind Map
This is one of my favourite ways to manage my thoughts when I’m trying to come up with ideas but I’m working on my own. I put an outline of a mind map on a whiteboard and then I just keep adding to it as inspiration hits. It usually takes me a few days or even weeks as I find my brain does best when I give it time to ‘marinate’, as I call it. Having the mind map always visible helps jog my thoughts and I add to it any time I have a thought bubble. Most of my best ideas come when I’m in the shower or walking the dog so I just jot them on my phone and then write them in the next time I go past the whiteboard.
You could also ask others on your team to add to it add their own thought bubbles. They might have a gem of an idea that they’ve never thought to tell you.
“In fact, 81% of consumers globally are willing to pay more for experiences that elevate shopping.”
Method 2: Brainstorm!
I hate to tell you this but, you don’t have the monopoly on all the best ideas for your business! That’s why borrowing the creative brains of others is really clever idea. Get a group together and start them talking with the same energy and enthusiasm that they might if they were planning a party or a holiday. Have some food, put some music on, introduce them all to each other as you would if you were introducing friends. Don’t make it formal - that’s sure to stop their creative juices flowing.
How many in a brainstorm? Weirdly, the ideal number is 5! It lets everyone contribute equally and feel comfortable sharing ideas. This is based on the Dunbar number - a principle developed by Robyn Dunbar, professor of evolutionary psychology at University of Oxford (I know it sounds a bit heavy but I enjoyed this interview with him on ‘'This Working Life’, ABC Radio National).
Who should you invite? A mix of different people with different interests and ideas is best - perhaps a customer, someone from your sales team, an artist, and probably that person who’s always full of great ideas even if they are a bit odd. Mix up the genders too, you might be surprised the experience of the opposite sex. A family member might work as well but be careful not to put up the ‘family forcefield’ where you get defensive about their ideas because they’re a relative. You have to be really open to what everyone contributes.
What’s the process?
Set the Stage: Tell them what you’re trying to achieve and make sure they know that no idea is a bad idea. If you give examples, don’t use any that relate to your store as you don’t want to lead them in a particular direction. Use examples of the bigger retailers who they all know but is different from your own.
The Brain Dump: Give everyone a stack of sticky notes and five minutes to write down every idea that comes to mind. The aim is quantity over quality.
Share and Cluster: Everyone shares their ideas one-by-one, with group discussion along the way. As you go, cluster the ideas together on a big sheet of paper to help identify patterns and themes.
Create the Action Plan: You might do this on your own later but put it on paper. If it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist.
Method 3: Steal and Adapt
Perhaps steal is too harsh a word, let’s call it ‘idea-napping’ instead. Basically, you take someone else’s idea and adjust it for your own. Let’s face it, that’s what most invention is based on anyway.
My favourite way to do this is to look at a completely different type of business to mine and ask myself, “What is my version of that thing they’re doing?” I’m always taking photos of great ideas from other retailers that I can’t quite figure out how to use yet, but I’m sure I will one day. It’s a fun way to challenge myself to get inspired.
For example, Apple stores have their ‘town centre’ table arrangements so how would I adapt that if I had a toy store? My version might be a table laid out with construction toys so that kids and adults could play but also interact with each other at the same time.
If I was at a perfume store but I owned a pet store, I might look at the way they displayed their beautiful perfumes and do a version of that for dog owners. Ambient back lighting, those little sample sticks and a classy header sign above calling it ‘The Pawfumery’. I would ask suppliers to provide a few free sample bottles.
If I owned a garden centre but was visiting a clothing store that merchandised belts and handbags with an outfit, I might think about adapting that by setting up a mix & match station with a small selection of indoor plants and indoor pots which allowed customers to experiment to see which combination best suits their decor.
I’ve even been at a fast food store where they had sauces in those pump bottles and thought to myself, I could use something like that to let customers sample different honeys.
Having said all of that though, I would suggest that you don’t just copy competitors from your own industry unless you can do it better or differently, that won’t set you apart and you might end up looking like the poor cousin. Be unique, but open your mind to get inspiration from everywhere and everything that’s going on around you.