Shopping today is 24/7 at the click of a mouse. But where is the classic shopping street justified and how do products have to be presented offline today? Answers by Roger Stämpfli, Executive Creative Director.

Roger, how do you go shopping?

I’m getting more and more targeted, for example buying shirts at Fidelio in Zurich. And of course while travelling, preferably in Berlin – I recommend the Voo Store.

What is there to discover?

A classic hipster store that focuses on curated shopping. Here I find parts that are otherwise not available on the market. 

And how do you feel about online shopping?

Of course I buy online from time to time. For example, I like to buy trousers online at G-Star. 

You primarily mentioned niche stores. How do you see the future of the conventional shopping street?

I think it has a future when it does its homework. The product mix has to be exciting and agile at all times so that the customer always has something new to discover.

How exactly is the product to be presented in retail today?

The experience is becoming more and more important, and this requires good visual merchandising. The space is a stage: here the brand can be made tangible, here a brand identity and a social meeting point can be created – this is only possible to a limited extent on the Internet: trying out a perfume together and discussing how it tastes to the other person will never be possible online … 

How can a brand be experienced?

Events are becoming more and more important, the common experience: vernissages, autograph sessions, stars and influencers experience live. We also try this together with the Glatt Center with its event areas, which change several times a year and some of which already resemble a festival. 

A brand can also be experienced by showing transparency:

Where does the product come from? So much can be told here. Visitor centres will become more and more important in the future. For example, we were able to implement the visitor centre for Möhl. A classic Mosterei tries to bind new customer groups to itself and make its history tangible through an unusual visitor centre. Here, customer loyalty can be achieved that cannot be achieved with classic and digital advertising. 

You mentioned events and transparency as important points. Are there other topics that have potential?

I firmly believe that regional products will take on a new importance. Sustainability as such will continue to gain in importance. It’s not for nothing that every smallest city has a Zero Waste store today. This is not a small trend, this is a megatrend that is emerging here. . 

So you don’t have to worry about the Internet as a retailer?

The Internet plays an important role. I don’t think it makes any sense anymore to separate online from offline and to regard it as a mutual competitive situation. Formats that can harmoniously combine both online and offline shopping will be successful in the long term. It’s probably no coincidence that formats like Zalando are increasingly trying to gain a foothold on the market in order to convince new customer groups. 

Roger Stämpfli knows a lot, draws a lot and likes to cook.
And he is also happy to answer questions about this article or other topics.