Choosing the Right Script for Your Store

Here’s a great article titled “7 Steps For Creating Disruptive New Retail Experience,” in Fast Company’s Co.Design’s November newsletter.

To provide your customers the experience that will stand out from mundane shopping practice you have to look beyond the subject of design to sociology, economics, organizational behavior, and even theater, the article suggest.   By finding the intersection of these fields we can find the right script for your store.   “Scripts” are unwritten and unspoken shared rules that govern how people act that guide our day-to-day behaviors and interactions, according to the story.  Scripts are the reason why people behave similarly at the DMV and at holiday parties.

The article suggests seven principles that will help you design and choose the right script for your store.

1. Experience design is not about luxury- It’s not always about “Premium” ideas.  Think about Southwest Airlines and how they combine heart, humor, and efficiency to air travel.
2. Start with empathy- Stepping into the customer’s shoes.  Good example is Harley Davidson because they employee bikers.
3. Do you own thing- Find authentic sources of connection with your customers and stick to them.   Think about Target
4. Utilize all elements of theater- Think of the whole shopping experience as a “play,” including casts, costumes, set, and props.  Good example is Starbucks.
5. Use different incentives to create different behaviors- Provide employees with right incentives like what Saturn did by employing salaried salespeople and eliminated the stereotypical sleazy car salesman.
6. The devil is in the trade-offs- Managing the trade-offs is crucial to finding the script with a character that separate you from the rest.
7. Evolve to stay relevant- Always experiment with new ideas and be ready to change to meet people’s needs.