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<\/a>As e-commerce brands increasingly move into physical spaces, the challenge for architects and designers lies in shaping retail environments that reflect these brands’ digital identity while offering something more\u2014something tactile, immersive and, in the end, memorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Virginia Maggiore, principal at RDC, has built a career helping brands navigate this transition. Since joining the architecture firm in 2019, she has led the development of the company’s Retail Store Rollout and Planning practice, working with clients ranging from digitally native startups to legacy brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maggiore\u2019s recent projects include Babyletto\u2019s first-ever showroom in Los Angeles and Wilson Sporting Goods\u2019 immersive prototype store in Dallas. Both locations underscore the rising need for experiential, flexible spaces that align with broader retail industry trends<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this interview, Maggiore provides her take on the evolving design principles behind tomorrow’s retail spaces\u2014from modularity and placemaking to the hurdles e-commerce brands encounter when entering brick-and-mortar for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WATCH THIS VIDEO INTERVIEW:<\/strong> Let\u2019s Talk About Retail Trends<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n What were the core design goals in creating a tactile environment for digitally native brand Babyletto on Melrose Avenue?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Maggiore:<\/strong> For 40 years, Babyletto has built an amazing following of customers and influencers who love their products and online presence. We wanted to create a tactile showroom where people could come and interact with their products, to experience the details\u2014from the variety of furniture finishes to the softness and durability of the bedding\u2014that they couldn\u2019t experience online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The space had to showcase the variety\u00a0Babyletto\u00a0offers without overwhelming visitors. To do that, we leaned into exploration and helping shoppers visualize how items would work together in their own homes. We used flexible spaces<\/a> that could be endlessly reconfigured and provided some connection to the next ‘room’ to give visual continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How did you balance playful motifs with the sophistication expected in a flagship retail experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maggiore:<\/strong> We worked through many different ideas in the design process, tuning the playfulness and sophistication along the way. The idea of nursery vignettes, each with their own personality that also played off different Los Angeles neighborhoods, struck the right balance and made the space fun and creative but manageable for shoppers, who could mix and match from different collections and areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We leaned into creative wall coverings and the custom mobiles to provide eye-catching elements, and used lighting and accessories to make the space feel like home. We also worked with\u00a0Babyletto\u2019s great influencers and pulled from their collections and collaborations to bring what people have seen online into the retail space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tell us more about the challenge of blending online functionality with physical retail design.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maggiore:<\/strong> When we\u2019re approached by online brands moving to brick and mortar, we work to understand what\u2019s meaningful for their customers now and what they can get from the in-store experience that isn\u2019t possible online. What\u2019s the service the brand provides that makes their offering unique, online and off? Digital navigation is important.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Babyletto\u00a0was built as a digital brand and their product comes with the variety of finishes and design options that digital customers expect. It would be impossible to show everything they offer\u00ad\u2014products, materials, finishes\u2014in one showroom. We set up a digital kiosk in each of our vignettes so parents could see the crib in the store setting, then experiment with different finishes and all other options available to them. We also supplemented the digital experience with physical material swatches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n READ ALSO:<\/strong> Urban Retail\u2019s Momentum Builds Cautiously<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n What would you say are some of the most common design pitfalls brands fall into when transitioning from e-commerce to brick and mortar?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maggiore:<\/strong> There\u2019s a higher ‘cost of entry’ in the physical realm compared to the digital space. Getting online to set up a store costs almost nothing. You can make big, radical changes to your brand and offering and it can happen quickly, for almost no additional spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In contrast, everything in a physical retail space costs money and time. Digital-first brands want to move quickly, but a first store is not the place to cut corners. In fact, you want to bring your A game and that will look different than the tactics that drive sales online. For instance, brands want to put big monitors throughout the space to showcase their products, thinking great photography is a customer draw in the real world as much as it is online. But static images don\u2019t translate to retail space. Stores have to offer something beyond what shoppers can find online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s also ongoing maintenance and update costs. What is the plan for updating in-store content? Who is managing it? How often does it need to change to stay fresh? Failure to think through daily operations could seriously affect the efficacy of the store design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brands should also consider how stores might evolve and expand. It\u2019s important to know what the non-negotiables are in their brand identity. What are the constants and what are the variables? How much of a single store should be brand-specific versus site-specific? Understanding what can change and what must stay in any new store will help control costs, protect brand integrity and build familiarity with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wilson Sporting Goods\u2019 NorthPark store in Dallas was another unique project of yours, designed as a scalable prototype. What were your priorities in developing a format that could support global expansion?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Maggiore:<\/strong> Wilson is a storied brand, whose name appears on the equipment used throughout professional sports. They are known for offering a wide variety of products that include apparel, footwear and accessories. We had to find a way to hold all of that in one space and design around the breadth of their offering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wilson had opened a few stores, but they weren\u2019t modular or scalable and that was limiting their expansion plans. We focused on flexible elements like casework and tables that could go in any store with the same kit parts. That made every store modular and made the store design<\/a> scalable to as many locations as Wilson desired. They have opened several stores using these standards since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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