Making Connections during a Pandemic
/We all instinctively crave human connection, I miss the buzz of meeting new people, chatting to strangers, hearing their stories. In a time when it is impossible to meet face to face or experience those chance encounters how can we link with people?
Top Drawer, a design led trade show bringing together 100’s of designers, products and buyers is a festival buzzing with conversations, meetings and inspiration, which for obvious reasons is not possible right now. The team have done a brilliant job to replicate this community in an online format, creating a digital platform connecting brands and buyers providing inspiring live content including product launches and industry lead seminar sessions.
I was invited to be part of a lively panel discussing retail trends and key points independent retailers should consider when shaping their 2021 retail strategy.
We discussed:
Innovation in the physical space, how store design and visual merchandising is critical in creating exciting spaces that customers want to enter and shop.
The rise of exceptional customer service through the implementation of great VM, elevating store teams to brand ambassador roles, and building a community
How online and the retail space needs to merge and work together including using VM principles when creating online stores
The importance of being agile and flexible, trying out new ideas, listening to customers and changing the store and window frequently
My fellow panellists were fantastic, and I definitely got my ‘meeting people’ fix although I can’t wait until September when we can do it again in person. Would you like to meet for a coffee?
You can watch the talk again here:
