The investment in developing a new supermarket design is significant, and the risk is enormous. With most supermarket and grocery chains consisting of thousands of locations, converting to a new concept can be laborious and span many years. On average, most good operators renovate about 5 to 10 percent of their stores per year, putting […]
What is the Lifespan of a Supermarket Design Concept? Read More »
In the spring of 2018, we conducted an online study as a precursor to a more extensive NXT branch of the future neuroscience and VR study. The goal of this research is to better understand customers’ definition and perceived value of an immersive experience across a wide range of retailers. Fill out the form below
Retail Immersive Experience Defined Read More »
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it makes sense that ugliness should be as well. However, some brands are almost universally regarded as unappealing when compared to competitors. Many of those ugly packages, websites, and environments develop cult followings from loyal customers, much to the frustration of brand managers who pour their
Shikatani Lacroix has won a Gold APEX Award at the Digital Signage Expo (DSE) for designing an immersive restaurant bar experience for Boston Pizza. Shikatani Lacroix received a Gold APEX award in the Food & Beverage category, selected by an independent panel of 10 industry experts and journalists. The award was presented at the DSE 2018 APEX awards gala
Shikatani Lacroix Wins Gold APEX Award Read More »
Our recent stealth attrition study identified that customers today are more willing to switch banks or consider purchasing a new service from a competing bank. This behaviour is exacerbated by increasingly easy account opening and on-boarding processes thanks to technology and improved back-of-house systems. With so many elements to consider when it comes to growing your bank’s
Rating the Curb Appeal of Your Bank Branches Read More »
A trend that is bubbling up in neighborhoods across the continent is the resurgence of the corner store, that’s more than just a place to buy milk. There are community hubs that double as meeting spots. There are delis and bodegas that boast daily line-ups for their legendary sandwiches. And there are urban reinventions of
Hot Trend: The Corner Store as a Destination Read More »
The customer journey is one that starts well before customers open an account, and continues, repeats, and ideally builds loyalty throughout the relationship. Certain touch points along that journey can become routine experiences or signals that customers come to expect and associate with the brand. Pleasant rituals can help to build stronger relationships with consumers and repeated
Three Great Ways to Welcome Branch Customers Read More »
Crafting a ‘Branch of the Future’ Design Strategy in the Digital Age As the role of branches continues to evolve, banks and credit unions alike are wrestling with big questions about their retail strategy. How do you ensure your branch network remains relevant with today’s digital consumers? Should you consider alternative branch formats, and if
Financial Brand Forum 2018 Read More »
The convenience of Amazon Go – a completely automated shopping experience, free of cashiers, queues, and check-out counters – hasn’t quite materialized as quickly as promised. When the retail giant first announced its ambitious concept, it promised to bring the idea to the public by early 2017, but so far the project seems to be floundering. While
How Retailers Will Compete with Amazon Go Read More »
There is a growing trend for banks to partner with millennial-friendly retailers in the hopes of driving traffic and relevancy for their branches. From credit unions to large banks, such as Capital One’s foray into cafe experiences that rival some of the best coffee chains, the allure of finding a complimentary partner to drive branch
No, Your Bank Doesn’t Need a Coffee Shop Read More »
Jean-Pierre “JP” Lacroix of Shikatani Lacroix Design shows how technology has blurred the lines between the physical and digital world, both in the store and in the retail design process. The firm uses VR tools to do fast iterative design of retail environments and test them with customers. A digital shoe display knows which pair of Adidas one is examining in the
Building Stores for the Future – Where We Buy Read More »
Grocery chains, food specialty stores, even convenience stores and gas stations are serving up hot meals to millions of hungry, hurried customers – 2.4 billion meals in 2015 as a matter of fact. From Loblaws’ bakery-cafes serving coffee and cupcakes, to food halls with servers and salad bars at Whole Foods, grocers are tapping into
Should Supermarkets Launch their own Foodservice Brand? Read More »
In the increasingly competitive world of foodservice, brands are looking for every possible advantage they might be able to leverage, including design. Numerous brands are undergoing make-overs: Taco Bell, KFC, Subway and Arby’s are only a handful of the big names that are currently rolling out more contemporary, less generic designs. The trend is quite
Most Effective Restaurant Design Elements Today Read More »
Suzanne Cluckey of ATM Marketplace wrote about Jean-Pierre Lacroix’s presentation at the 2017 Bank Customer Experience Summit: Some years ago, the president of [SLD], a company that specializes in brand strategy and customer engagement, sat in a meeting with senior leadership at Kodak, a client company. He was there to present research on a promising new business segment —
Branch Transformation by Design Read More »
Breaking Branches – Learning Lab For the unprepared, branch transformation can be a Herculean task. That’s why Jean-Pierre Lacroix, an expert in brand transformation, and Stephen Griffin, who led the transformation of Regions Bank branches, will lead a workshop on breaking (and rebuilding) branches at BAI Beacon. A select group of attendees will have the opportunity
With the Equifax hack dominating headlines, consumers are once again reevaluating the relationships they have with their banks. It can be difficult enough for customers to trust large financial institutions when they think everything is working fine, but in a new age of cybercrime and insecurity, it is harder than ever to convince the public that your
Building Privacy into the Branch Experience Read More »
Marrying digital and foodservice is an ever-growing trend and is necessary to capture Millennials’ attention. That is why we sat down with Boston Pizza‘s Paulo Ferreira, Senior Director of Design, to discuss the restaurant’s new design and digital integration at their flagship Toronto location. Boston Pizza was trying to get Millennials off their phones and engaged
Behind the Scenes of Boston Pizza’s New Design Read More »
Categories in today’s market are becoming less defined, as foodservice blends with grocery and retail and cafes offer added value within banks, bookstores, and gyms. Customers are looking for choice, custom experiences, convenience, multi-functionality, and less cultural rigidity. All-day breakfast is becoming a popular restaurant offering, the demand for gender-neutral clothing is increasing, and hybrid
Keep Your Restaurant Relevant With These Hybrid Design Tips Read More »
Regardless of whether the infamous Trump wall is ever built, the American economy relies on immigration to ensure robust growth. As boomers age and birth rates drop, it is inevitable that this will continue. By 2050 it is expected that 37 percent of the U.S. population will be either first generation immigrants or second generation
Banking on Diversity Read More »
Shikatani Lacroix’s design of China Zheshang Bank was awarded an ICX Association Elevate Award for Best ICX Deployment for Financial Services at tonight’s awards reception. “We’re overjoyed to bring home another Elevate Award, as it speaks to the innovative work we’ve done with CZ Bank and our partner in China, MetaThink,” said Marcos Terenzio, Director of
Shikatani Lacroix Wins ICX Elevate Award for CZ Bank Read More »
