download the PDF version - Strategy

SOCIAL
THAT’S ITALY (IN A STORE)
When in Vaughan, ON, there’s
plenty opportunity to do as the
Italians do. That’s because in the
culture-rich city of roughly 300,000
residents, 15% speak the mother
tongue, compared to an average of
2% across Ontario. This makes it a
favourable destination for Italian
fashion and clothing distributor
Lino Grasso to set up his irst
Canadian shop.
That’s Italy will open its doors on
March 28 in a 15,000-square-foot
retail space featuring 16 mid- to
high-end Italian designer brands. In
the centre of the store, surrounded
by each brand’s shop-in-shop, will
be a café and cocktail lounge area.
The store is meant to mimic Milan’s
famous “quadrilatero della moda”
(Italian fashion district) with its
streets lined with stores and cafés.
“We’re trying to capture the
culture through fashion and
lifestyle, and this includes the
clothing as well as food, drink and
music,” says Phil Falcone, director,
strategy and creative, Zebra Design
Studios. Falcone’s agency was
tasked with bringing the store
(which was designed by Italy-based
Brugnotto Shop Interiors) to life
through its branding, marketing
and promotional efforts.
The “society” driver of change in
Anderson’s framework identiies
diversity as being a high-impact
force on how retailers design stores
today, from adding bilingual signage
to celebrating cultural holidays.
He believes big chains looking to
target ethnic groups can learn from
smaller, independent stores that
“hire from the community, stock
the brands that their shoppers
grew up with, and celebrate the
same cultural calendar and family
milestones” – most of which That’s
Italy plans to do.
Each brand in the store is new
to Canada, but well recognized by
Italians, and the staff is of Italian
descent or has some connection
with the community, Falcone says.
A Toronto DJ with ties in the
Italian community is working
with the retailer to program
music to play in the store, and the
retailer is working closely with the
clothing brands to keep prices at a
comparable level. “We don’t want
to give the Italian experience at
Canadian prices.”
The store certainly isn’t exclusive
to Italians, says Falcone, hoping
to win over those not from
the community with a relaxed
atmosphere created by a staff
of personal shoppers who help
customers put together outits while
they wait. “This is the Italian way
of living, taking things slower and
enjoying life, and it really transcends
the shopping experience.”
TECH: CLEARLY CONTACTS LAUNCHES A SOCIAL STORE
Online retailer ClearlyContacts.ca plans to launch a store in Vancouver with a similar personalized approach
to Sport Chek. The company’s first physical shop will open this spring with a service that the brand already
offers online. Inside, there will be a “virtual station” with a webcam for people to have their picture taken and
uploaded. From there, they can (virtually) try any frame in the database and share their images with friends on
social media, says Aaron Magness, VP marketing at the company.
“We’ve found that over 10% of glasses [are purchased] after a person uses the virtual station,” he notes,
adding that the store will help to educate shoppers of the tool that already exists online and hopefully lead them
to make their second and third purchases on the website.
March 2013
17