Offer Neatness to Creative Shoppers

Last week, I hung around the Lululemon Athletica store in Corte Madera, California. Lulu, as some have nicknamed the chain, has fully stocked stores and limited selection showrooms in Canada, the U.S., Australia, and Hong Kong. They also sell their branded merchandise through other retailers, and they have an ecommerce site. The company has gained attention for friendly store design.
     I wanted to observe that friendliness for myself. One impression that came through to me was a handmade look. Another was neatness. Research at University of Colorado suggests that a handmade look might not appeal to all types of consumers, but would be attractive to shoppers who see themselves as creative or aspire to be more creative. Findings from surveys conducted by the Boston Consulting Group indicate that women shoppers—the major target audience for Lululemon—like their creativity combined with practicality.
     Here are two lessons about creativity and practicality from Lululemon:

• Although the stores carry a range of apparel, the company home page says they sell “technical yoga clothes.” The store I visited had large full-color photo posters on the walls, each poster featuring a yoga instructor affiliated with that store. Yoga is a disciplined art. Are you doing ustrasana? Hey, there’s only one right way and many wrong ways to channel the spirit of the camel when posing as one. At the same time, yoga practices are designed to relax constraints on creative thought. Which of your lines of merchandise and services would appeal to creative shoppers? For those lines, what words, phrases, and images can you use in ads, signage, and personal selling to project your technical approach to relaxing constraints on creativity?
• On a main window outside the store was what looked like a hand-painted calendar of special in-store and area events to be held during the month. It was done neatly, so it was easy to read. Inside the store, the shelves and racks were well-stocked with merchandise neatly arranged. Large shelf tags describing the different types of merchandise were done in a handwriting font. On the website and in the store, the Lululemon Manifesto resembles a collage, with mottos facing in a variety of directions, but everything printed neatly. What presentation styles, including standards for employee dress, can you use to portray a blend of creativity and neatness that your shoppers will find appealing?

Click below for more:
Help Shoppers Use Their Imagination
Exercise Cultural Sensitivity in Color Use
Manage Store Clutter Strategically
Train Staff About Dress Standards