Experience in Retailing - Case Study Example

Topic: Retail Theatre Retailers are applying the theatrical themes to their services like restaurants, theme parks, and boutiques to make them appear unique and distinctive. The purpose behind creating such theatrical enactment is to engross customers in the overall and added experience in retailing and make it an entertaining and memorable one. Audience interaction was first initiated by dramatist Bertolt Brecht, famous for his revolutionary ways to involve his audiences in the theatrical experience. Brecht used to develop and command the role of his actors in such a way that it offered chances of engrossing the audiences and enhanced the theatrical effect with the use of staging tactics. Retailers found the theatrical source as a better means to offer their products and services to their customers; it involves human resources and operational segment of retail management to provide a new experience to consumers, which is distinct and unique in approach. From theatrical point of view, a manager could play the role of a director, waiters – the extras and customers could be labelled as lead players. Some of the famous brands like Nike, Land Rover, and Starbucks are leading in providing a complete theatrical experience to their customers. Let us take two organizations, namely rainforest café and Wal-Mart. Rainforest café is distinct by its theme. Gift shop at the entrance is welcoming. The whole scenario gives you the feeling as if you are in the mid of a forest as you move further. You hear the sounds of different animals found in forest. All the waiters and waitresses appear in front of customers in distinct dresses. Visits to rainforest café is so entertaining that people just visit for the fun of it and spend some cash in the gift shop to buy some gifts. According to B&T, Australia’s highest selling advertising, marketing and media magazine, creating a ‘wow’ factor in retail industry is becoming very difficult. Market competition is so dominant that a retailer cannot depend on just four P s of the marketing mix—price, product, place and promotion to survive. The new concept is retail with entertainment and the old approach of colour, lighting and visual is not enough to create that environment. Music and leisure have become necessary elements in creating that phenomenon in stores and coffee houses like rainforest café, Starbucks, Nike Town, and others include amusement parks such as Disney’s MGM Studios, restaurants like Chuck E. Cheese’s, and retail services where you can “play” with services and goods like food and cosmetics. The distinct environment can affect customer decision to clinch a deal, which otherwise won’t be possible. According to Roger Tredre, editor-in-chief of brand and retail trend analysis service WGSN, customers behave like “butterfly consumers”, desiring top quality service and value for money and willing to change brands just for the sake of try. Customers want goods with a personalized touch and distinct. There is need to plan marketing holistically, to leave a lasting impression in the memory of the customer. Customer appreciates the actual added value of a brand product. The usage of theatre metaphor in services marketing and management literature has references to front stage, backstage, scripts, role and settings in reference to service encounters. Retail managers find it easy to introduce these elements to create the retail theatre scenario. Whether retail managers are successful in using the theatrical elements in their outlets is another question. Research and analysis of the exhibited elements show that extensive usage of some of the basic issues in such retail shows is missing or lacking, related to retail strategy, division and management of human resource. Retailers have not been able to translate that particular reaction from their customers that theatre would have got from a particular presentation resulting in specific audience reaction. The term ‘retail theatre’ doesn’t create the intended effect on the customers as theatre elements had on its audiences. It is not a complete-in-itself and gives a wrong signal, lacking in depth and completeness. If used properly, it can bring life and charm in retailing experience. There is need to look into the important elements of actual theatre where different aspects assimilate to create that ‘intended effect’ on the audiences – retail customers. In the case of rainforest café and Wal-Mart, it is necessary to know the four theatrical movements that need to be taken note of in the context of these two organizations, as elements of these four theatrical movements are being used worldwide in retailing. Theatrical Realism: Audience as Distanced observer It is the first movement in which audience observes from far. Actual scenario is created, providing detail and truthful environment. Audience feels like peeping into the personal lives of the individuals acting. Dresses and background add to that effect with tiny details of the environment. The best example is the 1953 production of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House by the Lyric Theatre, London in 1911, in which realism was followed in stage setting, showing the complete Helmer house with master bedroom presented realistically but not lavishly with lights adding to the realism, creating curiosity in audiences that they are peeping into the personal affairs of the lives being enacted on stage. Political Realism: Audience as Participator and Reviewer The 2nd theatrical movement shows the epic theatre or political concept. The German dramatist Brecht showed political element in theatrical movement. Audience is certain that such an enactment is artificial and just a story to entertain them. Mother Courage of Brecht is perfect example of such type of political realism in which 17th century scenario of war inflicted northern Europe is presented; signs and placards are used to inform the audience about the coming scenes. Atmosphere is relaxed one in which audience can interact while enjoying eating, drinking, and smoking besides interacting with one another about the happenings and effects on the observers. Surrealism: Attacking the Sense The 3rd movement is associated with surrealism, which is created by projecting such images that compel the spectator to think subconsciously about the purpose behind such singular or multiple themes; the director wants audience to ponder over the central theme or idea. Lighting adds to the effect by being sudden and angular; it is unusually glimmering and colourful, combining with irregularly repeated music beats. It overpowers the audience with current of the effect created through sensory reactions. “Absurd” Theater: Challenging the Mind Absurd theatre creates curiosity in the mind as to know the aim or purpose behind. In Absurd theatre, minimum is shown to let the audience imagine and think about the happening. Darkness and reflections in lighting add to the effect through the medium of colours. Space is disproportionately used to create a sense of dislocation. Such a movement engrosses the audience metaphysically, engaging both feeling and intellect and arousing an artistic and personalized reaction. Rainforest café has used colours intensively as well as extensively to bring out the lively picturisation of forest with digital lighting. The restaurant runs a small forest wandering every 30 minutes with tropical lighting, ceiling glowing with changing colours and MR lamps adding to the dramatic effect. It starts with the dark blue sky thunders with lightning at night, using ETC Expression LPC lighting console. After the thunder storm, audiences are amused with the lively colours of the setting sun and reciprocal changes occurring in the colours of the night sky. Later, the rain forest starts glistening with a sunrise full of golden light. All this theatrical drama is enacted to make the customers’ experience a lasting one. The movement of theatrical realism in which audience is an observer and observes with awe, creating ‘wow’ effect as customers are mesmerised by the light and sound show. Real life experience is created with the sounds of tropical rain showers, thunder and lightning storms, waterfall gushing down and jungle animals like gorillas, elephants, crocodiles and fluttering butterflies presented animatronics living beings. It is a sort of political realism too, as animals are presented in humungous sizes to create the real experience. Customers know that it is not real and is an attempt by the café to entertain them. Customers can feel relaxed while enjoying their choicest food and pass comments and interact with one another on the theatre-like presentation. Further, lighting has been used in rainforest café to such an extent that it gives the effect of surrealism, which attacks the senses with its sudden sensory effects through the noise of rain storm, waterfall and sounds of forest animals like chattering gorillas and fluttering butterflies. Some inputs of absurd theatre can also be found in rainforest café as it is totally based on lights. Customers don’t just enjoy the show, they think over the impression the rainforest café wants to deliver. Presentation of nature in thundering and stormy shades catches our intellect as we are getting far from it. A glimpse of setting sun and rising sun we find while sitting in rainforest café inspires to be in the company of nature, which is soothing as well as harsh. It appeals not only to our senses but intellect as well. So, all the four theatre movements are depicted to attract customers to the rainforest café. It is a very good retail marketing strategy. Rainforest café offers informal menu of specialties like pastas, salads, sandwiches, vegetarian dishes, burgers and an appealing line of appetisers, desserts and smoothes. Shopping for kids and ladies’ products is provided besides to add to the total experience. Another business tactic of showing environmental friendly, as is the latest trend among corporations, Tracy, the Talking Tree, speaks in sugary tone: “It's so important to reduce, reuse, and recycle!” Although it creates an ironic situation as diners are chewing the meat – an indication to the destruction of wild life and an environmentalist’s unwanted scenario but at the same time it is sinfully innocent marketing tool to impress your audiences – customers. The second chosen organization – Wal-Mart – a chain of departmental stores expanded vertically and horizontally, has been in the lime light due to unfavourable customer experiences and downward sales. Regarding four theatrical movements, the most common out of them is ‘Theatrical Realism, where audience is viewing the products not only from distance but can touch, feel and try out the usage experience. It involves political realism to a certain extent. There is interaction between customers and sales people. Lighting in a departmental store setting, as it is used in a great setting with talented sales people roaming here and there, are always willing to help the customer. Selling of ipod in Wal-Mart requires a great setting – an important element of theatre besides a good shopping experience. If it is not being offered by Wal-Mart, customer will go to some other store. Other theatre movements like surrealism – attacking the senses and absurd theatre – challenging the mind – are present in lesser degree as it is not a café but a department store. A customer first preference is quality product and if Wal-Mart is going down in quality, theatre movements and their application won’t help in record sales. On the contrary, sales would go down as is happening in the Wal-Mart case. In the case of Wal-Mart, customers like theatrical realism, and political realism comes secondary. A good setting, lighting and sales talent cannot impress the customer if there is lack of quality. Although the burden of downfall in Wal-Mart’s profit has been put on increased energy rates and decrease in demand but the company has itself found fault with the poor quality of its clothing and home decor products. Customers are getting distracted also because of inefficient customer service. Market forces might also be playing their part. Sometimes sales strategies backfire. Wal-Mart’s lowering of prices to attract customers has affected its profits negatively. There was increase in sales of grocery, electronics, and pharmacy products but sales in clothing and home products, which has higher profit margins, has been recording lower than before sales. It requires not just renewed approach but saving goodwill, which will return only when Wal-Mart stops practicing victimizing and monopolistic practices and bad treatment with employees. It could be the reason of employees not giving their best services as they are not being treated well by the management. Wal-Mart needs to project theatrical realism more than any other theatre movement but political realism suits more to rainforest café as research indicates that importance of a particular theatre role differs according to a service context and depends on the role of the customer. In the case of rainforest café service context, a customer wants feel good environ, background music, lighting and time of the day could be a deciding factor to attract customers but a departmental store like Wal-Mart should attend to its customers first in holistic way and impress upon the requirement of a product. Customer compatibility is an important factor in a department store; if customer is not attended properly, even an appealing product won’t catch eye and attract. References: Barbaro, Michael 2007, ’Two Giant Retail Chains Say Sales Are Slumping’, 15 August, viewed 12 November 2007, . Baron et al. 2001, ‘Retail Theater: The "Intended Effect" of the Performance’, Journal of Service Research, vol.4, no. 2, pp. 102-117, viewed 12 November 2007, < http://jsr.sagepub.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/cgi/reprint/4/2/102>. DeBell, Sara, Rainforest Café Environmental Chuck E. Cheese, South center Mall, 248-8882, viewed 12 November 2007, . Harris K, Harris R & Baron S 2001, ‘Customer participation in retail service: lessons from Brecht’, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 29, no. 8, pp. 359-369, viewed 12 November 2007, . Ligerakis, Maria 2004, ‘A touch of the theatre to add the ‘wow’ factor’, 5 April, Retail: B&T, viewed 12 February 1997, . RainForest Café, Mall of America, Minneapolis, MN, viewed 12 November 2007, < http://www.colorkinetics.com/showcase/installs/rainforest/>. Rainforest Café, viewed 12 November 2007, < http://www.londontrocadero.com/venues/restaurants_more.html?id=66>. Retail theatre, viewed 12 November 2007, . Williams & Anderson 2005, ‘Engaging customers in service creation: a theater perspective’, Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 13-23, viewed 12 November 2007, . Read More