The mainland’s leading mobile company has linked with Hong Kong-based design shop Marc & Chantal for the outlet revamp, marking the first time the telecommunications giant has leaned on a specialised design agency.
According to China Mobile chiefs, the new look involves splitting each outlet into five distinct zones, focusing on business, information, entertainment, hot-selling items and an internet bar. Each zone will provide different functionality for consumers, and broadly reflects China Mobile’s desire to leverage its research and development capabilities by better show- casing new products.
For example, the business zone will carry the latest products targeted at business executives, while the entertainment zone will offer downloads of music, ringtones and games.
The streamlining process was aimed creating a ‘cleaner’ look and feel for the stores and enhancing the customer experience, after research found that existing outlets lacked visual consistency, had a cluttered layout and a difficult shopping experience.
“It has never used a third party to do its retail design before,” said Edith Lee, brand consultant, Marc & Chantal Design's China Mobile project. “It’s a 100 per cent facelift from the third - to the fourth-generation of retail design - a 180-degree shift in terms of selling strategies.
“China Mobile wants to trigger the spending desire of customers inside the different zones of the stores, as one of the key objectives for the client is that they want to increase the spend of each visitor while offering more value-added services.”
Lee noted that a core part of the redesign included placing a heavy emphasis on consumer interaction, with the five zones allowing customers to experiment and experience China Mobile’s different products.
The revamp is being completed in five outlets initially, with more than 40 Shenzhen stores to be completed in the coming months.
A full national roll-out has yet to be confirmed.
