There is a new retail design standard in the Caribbean, thanks to the introduction of the new telecom superstore, FLOW, in Fairview Montego Bay, Jamaica. Now offering four services – mobile, home phone, cable and internet – FLOW is committed to delivering a world-class portfolio of quad play retail environments, starting with the unveiling its new flagship store in Jamaica, which will be replicated across the Caribbean.
Featuring state-of-the-art technology, high-end fixtures and top quality finishing, these stores will bring an entirely new retail experience to the Caribbean. Designed by Toronto-based retail design firm Shikatani Lacroix, the new store design embodies the essence of the islands, awash in the calming blue tones of the brand color, reminiscent of the sea, with the touch of natural wood tones.
“We are confident this cutting edge design is a big game changer for the Caribbean,” said Will Gibson, Vice President of Retail at Cable & Wireless Communications, which owns the FLOW brand. “The complexity of the science in every area is up there with anything the world’s biggest Telco’s can offer. That is testament to not only the design excellence but also the thought leadership that the team at Shikatani Lacroix has given us. This is truly one of the best thought out quad play retail environments on the planet.”
With customer experience at the forefront of its rebranding, the stores are partitioned into flexible zones that allow for different transactions such as traditional customer service and sales, as well as bespoke areas for technical help and advice. Each zone is customizable and fed from a central customer queue system, so depending on the traffic loads for each zone, FLOW reps can serve more customers at a time by altering the set-up of the zones at the push of a button.
In addition to increased efficiency and a more personalized shopping experience, the new store design offers high-tech product displays to improve customer engagement. Customers can experience the latest apps on different mobile devices, or pair mobile handsets with headsets and speakers to listen to FLOW’s music offerings.
“We are so proud of the FLOW store,” said Richard Dirstein, Executive VP, Creative and Innovation at Shikatani Lacroix. “Its beautiful design showcases the great products and services FLOW offers through the use of integrated technology and ensures that each customer has a deep immersive experience. Every nuance of the journey has been optimized for the customer, from in-store charging lockers to live product with integrated demos. There is nothing like this in the Caribbean. Now ‘This is how we FLOW!’”
Shikatani Lacroix President Jean-Pierre Lacroix added: “The FLOW project allowed our creative team to design a truly immersive experience that captures the flair of the Caribbean while providing a differentiated store design versus competitors.”
According to FLOW Jamaica’s Managing Director Garry Sinclair: “We are confident that by employing this world class and revolutionary approach to our flagship location, more and more customers will visit our store just for the experience of doing business with us. As we are supported in each market by a fully loaded channel strategy, we will also have medium-size retail stores, small dealers and kiosks that will deliver the same branded customer experience. This will allow all of our customers, wherever they’re located, to ‘Flow’ with us in what we expect will be the best retail environment in the region.”
