Subdued Tech

Big-ticket device shopping becomes less intimidating

Implications - Consumers' devices hold the key to their entire lives -- from their personal secrets to their banking information -- in the digital age, and so, purchasing technology is not to be taken lightly. To lessen the intimidation factor of such an important big-ticket purchase, tech retail is adopting a more approachable aesthetic to alleviate the anxiety that potentially accompanies tech shopping.
Workshop Question - What aesthetic is perceived as the opposite of your branding and how can you incorporate elements of that to create a surprising and fresh dynamic?

Trend Themes

  1. Approachable Tech Retail — Tech retail stores are adopting a more approachable aesthetic to alleviate the anxiety that potentially accompanies tech shopping, creating disruptive innovation opportunities in experiential store design and customer service.
  2. Retail Technology Integration — Retail locations are being digitally integrated to create retail experience zones with a more casual feel, offering disruptive innovation opportunities in temporary mobile app boutiques and digital/physical blends.
  3. Next-generation Gadget Shops — Electronics stores that encourage customers to experiment with next-gen gadgets provide disruptive innovation opportunities in experiential store design and product proliferation to increase accessibility to emerging tech.

Industry Implications

  1. Retail — Retailers can take inspiration from the approachable and digital integration trends to create retail experience zones that focus on experiential store design and customer service.
  2. Technology — Technology companies can take inspiration from the next-generation gadget trend to increase accessibility to emerging tech and promote customer experimentation.
  3. Interior Design — Interior design firms can take inspiration from these tech shops to create approachable, casual-feel spaces that integrate both digital and physical retail experiences.
5.3
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
Patterns
Megatrends
6 Featured, 52 Examples:
521,345 Total Clicks
Date Range:
Dec 14 — Jun 16
Trending:
Warm
Consumer Insight Topics:

Featured Examples

Organic Tech Shops
Organic Tech Shops
This Jony Ive Apple Store Represents a Shift in Tech Retail Decor
Jony Ive is Apple’s Chief Design Officer, responsible for the iconic, often-emulated designs behind the limitless range of i-products—and now, the first Jony Ive Apple Store has opened... MORE
Farmstead Tech Shops
Farmstead Tech Shops
This Quirky Technology Store Design Plays Off of 'Apple'
The Jabłka Adama (Adam’s Apples) technology store design is a fun one that plays off of the name of the store for the theme of its interior. Borrowing from motifs like fruit stalls, crates... MORE
Next-Gen Tech Stores
Next-Gen Tech Stores
This Parisian Samsung Shop Spotlights Gear S2 Technology
Samsung’s new concept tech store in Paris is a hub devoted to Gear S2 technology. Throughout the store, there are several stations that allow consumers to get first-hand experiences playing... MORE
Retail Technology Lounges
Retail Technology Lounges
This Lenovo Retail Location Encourages Shoppers to Experience Products
Although many consumers are shifting some of their shopping habits to eCommerce, brands are calling them back to retail locations to experience products firsthand as seen with this Lenovo store.... MORE
Temporary Mobile App Boutiques
Temporary Mobile App Boutiques
The Wakaka Store in Tianjin Displays the Brand's Gadgets and Apps
The Wakaka store in Tianjin, China, is a glowing contemporary space that serves as a temporary gadget and mobile app boutique. The Wakaka brand commissioned architecture studio Penda to realize the... MORE
Homey Tech Stores
Homey Tech Stores
The Time Warner Cable New York Flagship Store is Warm and Modern
The Time Warner Cable New York flagship store takes a completely different tactic than Apple when it comes to displaying their product. As though trying to evoke a feeling of homeyness, people will... MORE

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