The Future of Retail is Experiential
Interview with Nicole van der Werff, Head of Retail Branding at international outdoor casual wear brand camel active
The coronavirus pandemic is urging retailers to rethink their brand positioning and marketing strategy across channels. There is an ever greater pressure to stand out from the crowd and to cultivate authentic connections with people. At the brick-and-mortar, experience has become the most powerful tool to engage and excite visitors and in this way, to win and retain customers.
HearDis! speaks with Nicole van der Werff, Head of Retail Branding at camel active, to gain insights about the initiatives taken by the international lifestyle brand and how it continues to inspire freedom and discovery of wanderlust right at the point of sale.
HearDis: Nicole, you have joined camel active in January 2020, moments before the outbreak of the pandemic. Can you tell us about your experience leading the company’s retail branding throughout such unprecedented circumstances?
Nicole: It was certainly a challenge but I always try to see the positive side in everything. The Corona pandemic has also paved the way for us to implement certain projects and processes more quickly. A good example is the topic of “digitalisation”.
HearDis: On the contrary to a widespread move by retailers to shrink their physical presence, camel active is strengthening its branding across flagships, showrooms and franchise stores. How important is brick-and-mortar for your brand in light of a transformed retail industry?
Nicole: The goal of camel active is to implement a new holistic brand strategy. The brand has an incredibly authentic and strong DNA with a lot of potential. I believe that we can only successfully implement this new brand strategy if we present ourselves equally on all channels — online and offline. How else are end consumers supposed to know about our positive trajectory if we don’t show it to them across all touchpoints? Even if we haven’t reached our goal yet, we’ve already taken an incredible number of new ways and can be proud of what we’ve achieved as a team so far.
HearDis: More than ever before, stores are expected to make customers and staff members feel at ease. When it comes to store design and the experience you offer, what are some of the new considerations by camel active to create a positive and inspiring atmosphere at the point of sale since the pandemic started?
Nicole: I believe that it will be increasingly important for a brand to be authentic and to create a shopping experience for its customer. Our brand DNA offers the best prerequisite for this and strikes a chord with the current spirit of time. We stand for “being outdoors”, for “experiencing things” and for “spending time together”. It is precisely this feeling we want to bring to the point of sale and thus emotionally connect with our customers.
HearDis: Stores are turning into a stage for an immersive brand experience: sensations and discoveries are the highlight in a space that feels authentic and personal. Which feelings and beliefs does camel active want to convey and how is the brand DNA brought to life in the store?
Nicole: During the Corona pandemic we all experienced first-hand what it means to be restricted. Our lives were confined to our homes, we couldn’t meet friends and we enjoyed every moment in the outdoors. We want to bring nature — which is also a big part of the brand DNA — to our retail spaces.
HearDis: In their quest to connect with customers on a human level, retailers must emotionalise their physical touchpoints. In your view, what makes an impactful PoS branding? Which elements should be considered to achieve a successful point of experience that touches customers’ hearts?
Nicole: I’m probably repeating myself but a brand must be authentic and stand for something unique in its core. There are so many players in our industry — many brands are comparable and have lost both their individuality and their brand DNA. You can bring as much digitalisation or highlights to the point of sale — but in the end it’s all useless if you don’t share your values within a 360 degrees connected strategy: the brand DNA, our products, the overall presentation, and our sales experts at the point of sale.
HearDis: Music is a powerful tool to emotionalise a brand in the store. How does the new sound curation reflect your brand and audience? Are you using the camel active sound curation from the stores at other physical touchpoints?
Nicole: Music is an extremely important and exciting topic because it triggers emotions and complements the visual presentation of the brand acoustically. Have you ever wondered what camel active sounds like? Together with HearDis! we have now identified music that perfectly supports our brand and our values. We’re also implementing our camel active sound across touchpoints: our showrooms, at event promotions such as the recent Freedom Van or as as mood references for campaigns.
HearDis: camel active is the go-to brand for outdoor casual wear. Especially since the pandemic outbreak, people yearn for a chance to reconnect with family, friends and colleagues and enjoy spontaneous outings in nature. How does the music in the store contribute to this feeling of togetherness and freedom?
Nicole: Our music contributes extremely to the new joie de vivre after the pandemic while perfectly reflecting our brand DNA. I am sure everyone knows this feeling of a song evoking a certain mood or when it brings back special memories. The foundation of the camel active sound is based on the attribute “togetherness”. It makes us want to spend every moment outside with friends, family, or colleagues.
HearDis: And finally, having navigated the retail industry’s ups and downs during the COVID-19 pandemic, how do you see the future of brick-and-mortar?
Nicole: I see the future of brick-and-mortar retail as extremely positive. The shopping experience at the point of sale cannot be replaced by anything else and it is something that we are currently observing: while during the lockdown phases only online shopping was possible, many people now prefer going back to the stores. They want to enjoy a good shopping spree, absorb emotions, touch the products and often spend the shopping time with friends, family or colleagues. Of course, online business is vital, but at best, both channels go hand in hand — emotional omnichannel.
HearDis: Thank you, Nicole, for your valuable insights!
