What is Storytelling in Retail Stores

"When you stumble upon a good story, it will: move you deeply, make you squirm, wake you up, make you want to share it with your best friends, make you want to rally to the cause &, once in a great while, make you want to buy". 

Definition of Retail Storytelling

We have been talking a lot about retail technology lately as a way to deliver unforgettable customer experiences but there is another tool that can trigger strong emotional connection and it is STORYTELLING. Storytelling is an ancient from of human expression and communication. In Marketing, it is a method of conveying messages and illustrating difficult concepts to educate the customers and encourage customer loyalty through entertainment and emotional connection. Storytelling is based on the idea that people remember information better when it is told as a story rather than presented with a list of facts.

The science behind storytelling marketing

Researcher at Wachington Unniversity in St Louis studied the level of brain activation when listening to a story. "The team found that far from just passively consuming the story, participants were instead living the experiences alongside Raymond, the young protagonist. Neurons in areas related to movement of the hand and grasping lit up when Raymond picked up an object, and neurons related to vision fired when he surveyed his surroundings."

Benefits of Story Telling

• Attract customer's attention
• Increase Brand awareness
• Humanize your brand
• Educate the audience without overwhelming them
• Engage customers: motivate individuals and groups to take action
• Increase customer loyalty by building trusting relationship
• Combat Showrooming by creating a unique in-store customer experience
• Increase sales

Element of a good story

A story should answer these questions:

• Who is the hero?
• What is the plot?
• What is the setting?
• What's the conflict?

The "Hero's Journey" is a basic pattern found in many narratives around the world, it is a good guide to write a story.

Storytelling is very effective at the top of the marketing funnel as a lead generating tool. Storytelling is a powerful tactic to attract the leads that are not quite ready to buy and guide them from the top of the funnel, "Once upon a time" to the bottom, "They lived happily ever after".

Examples

HUGO BOSS "Love Story"

In 2012, Hugo Boss created a storytelling campaign. The story involved two French characters, Juliette and Louis and it depicts the characters' first encounter and first rendezvous through their discovery of the city of Paris. The modern love story of Louis and Juliette unfolded month after month on the store's windows of the Champs-Elysees through beautiful illustrations, in-store activities and on social media. .

The format of the illustration was unusual so it attracted attention. Once inside, shoppers could find other related items, like illustrated postcards they could send to loved ones, and a pop-up installation of a Parisian park bench setting. The story told was a perfect love story, in the middle of Paris and the illustration versus the high-end model brought the brand closer to its audience.

The story was told over a period of time so the brand built momentum and curiosity. The campaign continued online where you could follow the story and win a trip for two to Paris.

This is, in my opinion, one of the best examples of great retail storytelling, because it is done well with the minimum resources possible. You do not need extraordinary technology and skills; you only need a good story.

SI Retail provides solutions for the retail industry so if you need custom shopfitting equipment or fixtures to create stories in your shop, contact us today on 1300 434 775 or visit our showroom.