Enhancing the Retail Experience

With the increasing ease, convenience and popularity of online shopping, bricks and mortar retailers need to find ways and reasons to entice people to visit their stores, and to better engage them with an enhanced in-store experience in an attempt to maintain their market share of consumer spending.   It is believed that if you create an engaging in-store experience it will have a major impact on sales per square foot.  A response is to make the in-store environment and experience so engaging that people want to spend time in the store. 

But what is the “experience” that bricks and mortar retailers aim to create for their customers, and how has that changed in the face of challenges presented by online shopping trends? What has been the response from retailers, from mall owners/managers, or even the designers of retail environments?  What are the trends?  How have bricks and mortar retailers embraced and leveraged mobile technology to their advantage to draw customers in to their stores and enhance the customer’s in-store experience?

Moderator: 

Ian Thomas, Chairman, Thomas Consultants Inc.

Panelists: 

Emma Fyfe, General Manager, Brentwood Town Centre

Grace Carter, Senior Manager (Social Media), Artizia

Michael Burton-Brown, Principal, Abbarch Architecture

Bios:

Ian Thomas 

Ian F. Thomas is Chairman of Thomas Consultants Inc., a Vancouver based retail planning and development consultancy. The firm has undertaken major projects in more than 50 countries where it acts for some of the largest developers and retailers in the world. Ian is a frequent speaker at international retail and development conferences, and is often sought out by international media to provide expert commentary on retail trends and issues.  Ian is the Chairman of ICSC’s International Design and Development Awards program, former member of the Board of Trustees of the ICSC, and former Director of the ICSC Foundation.  Mr. Thomas has also served as Director of Coast Appliances Ltd., Downtown Parking Corporation, City Xppress.com, Urban Development Institute, Vancouver Opera and Future Shop.

Emma Fyfe

Originally from Ontario, Emma moved to BC to begin her career in hotels at the Delta Pacific in Richmond. Over the next several years she worked in just about every department a hotel had to offer and then eventually moved into Director of Sales & Marketing at the Westin Bayshore.

With over two decades of Guest Services and hospitality under her belt Emma was promoted to Hotel Manager of the Westin Bayshore. Through changes in the economy, renovations and all else that a 24/7 operation has to offer she was ready for a new challenge.

Currently living in North Vancouver with her husband and two daughters, Charlotte and Clair, Emma brings a hospitality twist to the Shopping Centre world.  As the current General Manager of Brentwood she welcomes the challenge of this massive redevelopment and brings her two worlds together creating an exceptional guest experience in the retail world. 

Grace Carter

Grace is a business leader with a deep understanding of content, consumers, and the trends and technologies that shape their behaviour. She is currently focused on building Aritzia into a digital leader in the fashion ecommerce space, on a strong social media and content marketing platform. Prior to Aritzia, her digital experience spans in-house, agency and tech start-up work. In every business context, Grace is driven by a deep belief that the key to solving any problem is customer insight and proactive communication

Michael Burton-Brown

Michael is one of the two founding principals of ABBARCH Architecture Inc.  He graduated from Liverpool Polytechnic School of Architecture in 1969, and has over forty-five years of extensive experience in all project types with a focus and specialization in retail projects.  Prior to moving to Canada in 1974, Michael was Project Architect on a variety of office, hotel and recreational projects. Upon moving to Canada in 1974, Michael worked for Wade, Stockdill, Armour and Blewett, where he was Project Architect for the Lansdowne Park Mall and Park Royal South. He was also the Design Architect for Oakridge Centre.  Michael’s primary role in the firm is to take projects from the conceptual stage, through the early stages of Design, Re-zoning negotiations and Development Permit discussions.