the future of craft in a mass retail world

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THE FUTURE OF CRAFT IN MASS RETAIL

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THE FUTURE OF CRAFT | GLOBAL SHOP | 2017

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—The Hipster TakeoverDefining CraftExperience SignatureWhat’s A Brand To Do

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It’s a Hipster Takeover.


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And everyone is jumping on board.

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This idea of beingauthentically “crafted” has quickly become a mainstream play.


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But what does Craft really mean and how is it making its way into the world of mass retail?


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Let’s start with the most basic definition of Craft.



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—Craft /kraft/ noun

An activity involving skill in making things by hand.

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Example: The “craft” of bookbinding.

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The rise of craft isnot a new thing.


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In fact, it’s a movement we’ve seen before.


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Rejection of the Industrial Revolution…

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led to the Arts & Crafts Movement.

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Cultural movements areoften cyclical.


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Rejection of Globalization…


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led to the emergenceof Localized Craft.


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The intent of a movement almost always gives rise to something else.


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Imperialism sparkedthe anti-war mentalityand the rise of Hippies.


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What began as a politicalstatement led to what we now remember as the Hippie Movement.

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1968Hippie influence began taking off in fashion, music, movies, and all of popular culture.

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2017What began as a sociocultural idea has turned into what call the “Hipster” trend.

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Like the Hippies, Hipsters are often defined by what they wear and not always about what they think.

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“Hipster” is no longer about what people stand for.


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It has morphed into a catchall phrase of defining trendy –“that’s so hipster.”


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Hipsters havelost their story.

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So, why should we care as brands and retailers?


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Because everyone seems to be jumping on the Hipster bandwagon…


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And essentially are taking the hip out of ster.


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Hip is all about being “in the know.” Perhaps it is time as brands and retailers to start “setting the know.”


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Which leads us to our second, more widely referenced definition of Craft.


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Denoting or relating to food or drink made in a traditional or non-mechanized way by an individual/small company.

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The rise of craft brewing.


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There is one thing that unites these smaller, “crafted” brands.


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They were all born as the result of a great story.


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And as humans, there is nothing more powerful to create a memorable connection than through a good story.


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Stories help “set the know” but it’s definitely more prevalent in smaller brands than in mass retail.


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But even in the smaller craft brewing world there’s a big problem.


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Many of these stories aresounding the same.


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And sometimes the stories aren’teven real.


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So, what’s a mass brand and retailer to do?


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We see evidence that the only option for many was to turn to our final definition of Craft.



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Skill used in deceiving others.

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Synonyms: Cunning, Crafty, Guile, Wiliness, Artfulness, Deviousness

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“Crafty” is definitely different than being uniquely “crafted.”


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So in this sea of crafted sameness, is anyonestanding out?

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What do Trader Joe’s, Shinolaand Lush have in common? They have “crafted” experiences that are authentic and true to their brands.


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They have created what we call an Experience Signature

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An Experience Signature is a higher order, unifying principle of retail branding.


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It informs, rationalizes and influences the ways in which a retail business presents itself to the world.


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A unique combination of brand-led touchpoints that exist between a retailer and the people that shop its stores.


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Literally any point that shoppers touch the retailer, whether through physical, digital, or human interactions.



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*Hipster


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Duplication


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Differentiation

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Only with touchpointsworking in harmony, and infused with the brand’s DNA can be said to have achieved an Experience Signature.


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A way to express yourself to the world that both feels intuitively right and which simple could not be someone else’s.


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If your brand is your essence, your Experience Signatureis your presence.

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Most of all, an Experience Signature creates retail that is truly defensible over a lasting period of time.


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To achieve an Experience Signature you literally have to activate every touchpoint and infuse it with purpose, meaning, and character.


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But it has to be “crafted,”because shoppers today will see right through the “crafty.”


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And while your brand is the hero, we can’t ignore the shopper.


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However our focus needs to be on their mind states,not demographics.



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D E L A

Dreaming Exploring Locating Achieving

No specific purchase intent.

Purchase intent in the category.

Post-purchasing product or service.

No specific purchase intent.


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And mapped againstphysical, human, anddigital experiences.

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HumanEmpatheticApproachableKind

PhysicalImmersiveImmediateTactile

DigitalInfiniteInteractiveStorytelling


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So what is the future of craft in a mass retail world?


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What can we do as brands and retailers to create true relevancy and differentiation in an ever increasing sea of sameness?


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1Don’t underestimate the power of the right story that “sets the know” for your brand.

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Examine all of your customer touchpoints and put them through your brand filter. Remember, not all touchpointsare created equal. Harmony is our goal.

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Recognize authenticity comes from crafting unique experiencesrather than being “crafty” in an execution based on the latest customer and retail trend(s).

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So what’s your “crafted” Experience Signature going to be in this Mass Retail world?
