Environmental Merchandising
Public show room and wine tasting area at the Novelty Hill | Januick Winery. Visit the project page for more details.
mer·chan·dis·ing or mer·chan·diz·ing [mûr
ch
n-d
z
ng] n. 1. marketing: the promotion of a product by developing strategies for packaging, displaying, and publicizing it.
Merchandising today is very different than it was 10 years ago. Customers now expect a much more specific approach driven by emotion. The complexity involved does not imply difficulty, but deserves consideration and targeted research to define the market profile, whether the item for sale is housing or a bottle of wine.
This article deals with two distinct sides of merchandising: emotional and technical. We'll look at what motivates consumers these days, along with the technical aspects of spaces designed for environmental intelligence. We'll connect with current thinking and pave the way for future expectations.
A recent shift in perspective, no doubt related to global climate and economic changes, has increased the layers of conscious and subconscious filters that people use in deciding to make a purchase. This prompts us to think about the kinds of places that appeal to consumers on an emotional level. How might we engage their senses?
Concern for the environment and a desire for positive change now permeate the way in which people are choosing to work and live. Technically speaking, this means sustainable choices for furniture, fixtures, tabletop art and vertical art. In turn, vendors have an opportunity to contribute to a "low VOC lifestyle" with paints, carpets and other furnishings made from recycled materials that don't off-gas. It's important for human health, as well as for the future of our planet.
When we create a space that engages people's senses, we are providing them with experiences that trigger old memories and instill new ones. The thoughtful arrangement of volumes, light, sounds and smells spark emotional responses that have lasting effects - inspiring desire in the moment, along with the notion to return in the future.
These experiences can suggest a particular lifestyle to which buyers might aspire. Purchasing the product represents a decision to participate. In order to reach people on this emotional level, it’s necessary first to identify the likely candidates, and then deepen your understanding of them. There are numerous ways to hone a market profile: (1) Professional market studies encompasses an analysis of regional economic and consumer data; (2) A city’s chamber of commerce offers existing information about local demographics; and (3) Conducting your own research involves looking at the area’s amenities, transportation options and employers, etc.
Once you've decided on the market profile, design decisions can really begin. It helps to invent make-believe individuals to use as test cases. Imagine what these people care about and believe in. Create a story for them. For example, experiment with ideas for a condo unit by displaying beautiful family photos of a happy couple, bottles of slightly expensive shampoo, candles that introduce the scent of a spa where the couple would like to return, up-to-date but lived-in furniture, and other products and furnishings that are well-known brands for sustainable practices and content. For a retail store, such as REI, you'll need to investigate the likes and dislikes of a wider demographic, but still find the interests and values that the people have in common.
Designing to the market profile is crucial to success in sales. You don't want to risk taking a hit-or-miss approach, especially in our tough economy. Interior architecture that sends a clear message about sustainability with finishes, furniture and art, will evoke a meaningful experience for your market. Regarding "green" lifestyles, many options influence the outcome, such as project type, location, available materials and desired effect. Each project can have its own unique expression of environmentally positive choices.
The wide variety of possibilities for projects that offer sustainability as a lifestyle choice is illustrated by the following examples.
Mosler Lofts
These loft condominiums range from 500 to just over 2000 sq.ft. flats and townhouses. All units feature open floor plans, 10-foot high concrete ceilings, exposed ductwork and floor-to-ceiling glass. Simple, unadorned features align with sustainable goals and convey a hip, urban ambiance. Community facilities in the building include living room-style common areas, a “green roof” terrace, library and art gallery, three levels of below-grade parking, business center, workout area and café. Mosler Lofts hit its target market. It was the fastest selling condominium in Seattle’s highly competitive marketplace in 2006.
Merchandising highlights for this market:- Honest materials, i.e. concrete floors and walls.
- Natural light with floor to ceiling windows.
- Natural ventilation with operable windows and open floor plans.
- Model furniture made from recycled materials supports urban style with sustainability.
Model unit at Mosler Lofts. View project page for more details.
Island Square
This high-end apartment building, on affluent Mercer Island near Seattle, offers 235 residential units and 11,000 sq.ft. of office space over 31,000 sq.ft. of street-level retail, including shops, boutiques and restaurants. Integrating residential, retail, office and community amenities has created a town center that emphasizes pedestrian needs. This product targets seniors who have lived their entire lives on Mercer Island, but have recently sold their homes in order to travel or purchase another home in a warmer climate or closer to grandchildren. Young, urban professionals who grew up on Mercer Island and now work in Seattle are another likely market. In both cases, demographics include high levels of education and a strong Asian component. Worldly and well educated, they could be expected to seek sustainable options. Island Squre addresses that potential with reclaimed furniture, recycled cork chairs, crafted lighting, and the work of local artists.
- Merchandising highlights for this market:
- High end materials supporting/expressing Mercer Island's affluent identity.
- Inside and outside gathering spaces that support the larger community—enhancing one of the reasons that people want to live on Mercer Island.
- Entry/amenity space offers reclaimed furniture, recycled cork chairs, and locally designed lighting.
Amenity area at Island Square.
Landmark on the Sound
This new senior living community is unique to the Pacific Northwest, not only because of its grand historic scope, but because of its seamless integration of classic elegance and contemporary living. It is the choice retirement community in the Seattle area, as it appeals to active seniors who enjoy the outdoors. Sustainability is a key characteristic of Landmark's approach, offering reupholstered furniture found in 1920 in the original building, along with generous daylighting and views of Puget Sound to connect residents with nature. Art and accessories accentuate the beauty of the location with personal touches, including local hiking maps and binoculars, family and travel photos, and a birthday card acknowledging many years of fun and adventure.
- Merchandising highlights for this market
- Units are oriented for views of the water.
- Floor to ceiling windows emphasize natural light.
- This 1920 mansion is one of the area's most iconic addresses.
- Operable window and open floor plans maximize natural ventilation.
- Model furniture is recycled from the original 1920 building.
Community room at Landmark on the Sound featuring recycled furniture from the original 1920 building.
REI
Breathing experience into the brand enabled REI to become America's strongest retailer of outdoor apparel and gear. The company made its marketing reputation by trailblazing experiential retailing. Visiting an REI store is more than just a shopping expedition; it's designed to whet customers' interest in a particular piece of equipment or outdoor activity by boosting their imaginations. Certain features, such as a climbing wall, indoor trail for hiking and a cold-weather room allow people to test products before making a purchase. In keeping with the company's environmental brand, sustainable components are extensive, including salvaged wood, solar orientation, native landscaping, natural cooling and abundant daylighting.
- Merchandising highlights for this market
- Experiential retail promotes desire for the experience as much as for the product.
- The reintroduction of natural habitat to a warehouse district supports the conservation values of REI's members.
- Salvaged wood, unpainted steel and other materials left in their raw state support REI's conservation mission.
- Abundant natural light and ventilation give employees and consumers a portal to nature.
- Flexible display and lecture space supports the market's interest in giving back to the community.
- Using pieces of iconic equipment in the design, such as ice axes for door handles, heightens the sense of an outdoor experience.
Iconic fireplace in REI's Flagship Store. See the project page for more details.
Novelty Hill Januik Winery
This new 31,000 sq. ft. winery outside Seattle embraces the connection between the earth and the individual, from growing grapes through lifting a glass. The winery's purpose is carefully reflected in the architecture, both inside and out. Geometric patterns and repeating elements carry the structure's modern feel and the fine art of winemaking into nature and invite nature into the winery. The space is spare to keep the focus on wine. Characterized by an honest use of materials, interior finishes match those in the shell: concrete, wood, glass, steel and natural light. Signifying the rows of a vineyard, long, linear walls direct views to a world-class garden that is brought into the tasting room through floor-to-ceiling windows. This transparency articulates materials with scenes of nature that connect visitors to the world of the grapes.
- Merchandising highlights for this market
- Spaces are elegantly simple to be a back drop to the WINE and to heighten the sensory experience.
- Unadorned materials raw concrete floors and walls.
- Natural light with floor to ceiling windows.
- Minimal ceiling- open truss.
Novelty Hill | Januick Winery. Visit the project page for more details.
Islandwood
A six acre environmental learning center campus built carefully, almost apologetically, into a 255 acre nature preserve on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The "educational studios" building, which is an example that is replete with green features designed both to demonstrate architectural environmentalism and to elicit kids questions and interest. This approach is what they call "the experiential approach to education". The entire campus was designed to this philosophy because the age of the Islandwood clients / market profile is 9, 10, 11 and this type of demonstration has been proven to be the most effective way of drawing the client in and retaining memory. The schools have choices as to where they have their 'outdoor' experience and Islandwood has proven/earned the status itself of a National award winning sustainable camp? for reasons such as engagement?/ the buildings themselves teach/magic.
- Merchandising highlights for this market
- It's proven this young audience/client engages and retains information best through impassioned memories versus lectures therefore experiential approach to education fits that need i.e. utilizing as many different sustainable materials on the floors, walls, counters, functional composting toilet, etc.
- Engage students/ client in charettes to find out specifics about what they wanted prior to design i.e. window from each bunk bed out to the forest.
- Much of the furniture was made by local craftsmen locally and from sustainable and low voc materials. from made from recycled materials supports urban style with sustainability.
Seattle's Best Coffee
This cafe reestablishes whole beans as a brand identifier, displaying varieties of coffee as a front line experience for customers, allowing them to make selections and then watch as the product is ground and brewed. The ability to touch, smell and see the process educates people about the fine points of coffee-making, turning them into connoisseurs and building brand loyalty at the same time. Supporting fair trade practices, the owner emphasizes sustainability with natural light, soy- and newspaper-based countertops, and other energy efficient measures throughout.
- Merchandising highlights for this market
- Sensory engagement that creates memories.
- Education that creates brand loyalty.
- Sustainable materials.
Seattle's Best Coffee retail counter at Portland State University.
Materials
Although the focus of this article is space and furnishings, the right accessories provide the final touch for your sustainable project. Due to prevalent green washing, it's important to have standards to evaluate your choices. One way in which interior designers analyze products and materials is with the following three criteria:
Manufacturing: Does the manufacturing process harm the environment? Does the producer use environmental practices regarding water and energy? Check their credentials.
Product Use: How does the item perform in terms of maintenance, durability and low VOC quotient?
End of Life: Can the item be recycled or down-cycled? If not, what are the options for disposal?
There are many ways to attain products, but the most prevalent are through local vendors and crafts people, national stores or online. For example, One Earth One Design, a retail design store in Seattle, displays the work of a local artist known for her home and personal accessories that combine the elements of surface design, utility and environmental sustainability. Dinah Coop's table mats and coasters use paperstone made of recycled paper and nonpetroleum-based resin and water-based finish.
In discussing projects of various scales, from big projects to small details, this article provides an overview of the way in which consumers' desire for sustainability can be incorporated into an experience that helps to sell your product. Using both tangible and emotional prompts, design for merchandising now engages people on a level that involves values, dreams, membership in a community and a sense of participation in a larger purpose.
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