INSIGHT: Global Shop 2012 – Highlights and Insights

I’m back in New York after spending three days in Las Vegas for Global Shop 2012.  If anything can compete with the dazzling, mind-bending sensory overload that is Sin City, it was this show. 

Offering brilliant eye candy and intriguing ideas over what seemed to be miles of aisles, Global Shop 2012 was the place for retail designers to recharge creative batteries and discover new possibilities in shopper environment development.

This was a show with palpable energy.  In the exhibitor booths, in the workshops and on the show floor, passionate people were buzzing about what they had seen and the ideas that had been inspired.  New materials, fresh approaches, innovative perspectives – they all pointed to a new level of retail engagement that is imminently possible.

From this chorus of ideas, I’ve identified what I see as three major trends; a trio of directions that will inform and shape the creation of shopper experience over the next few years.  The simple but powerful concept of “the personal touch” links all three.

The Artisan Returns
Thoughtful, meaningful craftsmanship is more in style than ever.  An artisanal aesthetic wrought with an exquisite attention to detail and a respect for real functionality will drive smart design.  In particular, I saw

• Custom-looking, experimental pairings of materials; high art meets high-function
• Whimsical, soft tech materials inspired by jellies and candy
• Digital inspired looks brought to life in plastics, metals and melamine
• Mosaics, impactful from near and far
• Super lightweight and transparent fabrics and delicate, lacelike fabrications
• Handmade items; creative, natural, elaborate and evocative of a warm, “made with love” vibe
• Eco-friendly materials; sustainable made soft and almost romantic

Color Tells My Story
Color has always been evocative of personality and individual point of view. Looking forward, color speaks even more loudly and articulately for brands (and to shoppers). From the Global Shop show floor,

• Soft Whispers
  • Elegant, gentle, feminine warm and nude tones
• Bold Statements
  • Vibrant shades, aggressively and surprisingly paired.  Clean lines and bright whites
• Graphic Declarations
  • Bold juxtapositions; retro inspiration, color layering, transparent hues creating new depth of color

Technology Warms to Shoppers
No longer a cold, confusing barrier to shopper experience, on-trend technology connects with the consumer to facilitate, communicate, personalize and delight.  Game-changing technology I saw includes

• Dressing room lights that allow the shopper to adjust intensity to simulate real-life situations
• Virtual greeters
• Intuitive, multi-touch and gesture-based reactive content and motion driven effects
• HD video incorporated within a glass environment (like the freezer door in the grocery aisle)
• Transparent touch showcases; LCD panels that transform glass into interactive digital displays
• Electronic paper displays with animated messaging using electronic ink