Shaw

What happens in a store that doesn’t sell “things”? While Shaw stores do have physical products for sale, customers are mostly shopping for digital pipelines. Internet for their homes, TV channels or cellular phone service. Stuff which is hard to see and touch. Why have a store at all?

That is exactly the kind of question that comes up when a company transitions from a utility provider with payment-service centres to having customer-first retail locations.

The telecommunications space moves and changes fast so it’s critical to have a retail space that is also agile and flexible while able to showcase the excellence of products and technical services. Complicating this challenge is the fact that the program for these stores is actually quite deep. What looks like a very simple space, actually functions on many levels. Aside from the primary objective of showcasing Shaw as an innovator that enriches customers’ lives, these locations need to also provide technical assistance, personal and business account services and bill payment options.

The retail strategy allows customers to interact in multiple ways, sometimes learning on their own, sometimes guided by a Shaw team member. There are high-engagement zones which present clear sight-lines to displays of services and products because attracting attention from the lease line is always important. There are areas of deeper learning where customers can have a more immersive experience. Stores also have semi-private spaces to permit extended conversations, handy for business solutions for instance.

As the retail program was implemented, the store design grew in fact simpler and less technical. While it can feel counterintuitive, we’ve found that clients whose offerings are highly technological and digital benefit greatly from simple analog, human-based design principles with their retail.