Best Buy's 'Concept Five' Stores Discussed

Best Buy will unleash a new store design concept this fall aimed at creating better flow through the stores, eliminating clutter in the aisles and creating a more unified merchandising look. Called "Concept Five," the approach is designed to make it easier for customers to shop -- and change the way the electronics chain uses P-O-P materials."Our future depends on how well we can couple our brand experience with marketers' brands to promote new products and tell more about them through a more compelling promotional display," said James Damian, Best Buy's vice president of visual merchandising and store design, during his keynote address at The P-O-P Show/Chicago. "Our goal is to create a single-minded message through simplicity and high-powered graphics that tells its story in the most compelling way."The new concept centers on the slogan, "Convergence of Technology and Life." The design currently is being tested in four locations: remodeled stores in Novi, Mich.; Arlington, Texas; and Allentown, Pa.; plus a new store in Orlando, Fla. It is set to roll out nationally in October, he said.The goal is to create a store experience that picks up where external media and information-gathering by the consumer has left off, Damian told the group. "We have to engage all five senses," he said. "No longer is it about 'stacking it high and letting it fly.' We have to make the complexity of buying into a simple process while creating a memorable experience that makes the customer your evangelist."Some of the key elements include:A new circulation path. Current Best Buy layouts bring people in at the left front of the store, which forces them immediately to the right. As a result, few shoppers visit the array of products on the left wall, Damian said. To change that, entries will be relocated to the center front, with a pentagonal aisle design that draws customers into the center of the store before flowing left, right or down the center.A new queuing pattern. Checkouts at the front will be accessed from one line, avoiding backups in one line.Reduced clutter. No pallet displays or P-O-P shippers will be used in aisles to make it easier to navigate. "Focus groups hammered us on clutter," he said. "Our goal now is to add value for our partners and the consumers by allowing shoppers to surf the entire store without disrupting the navigational pathways."Strong signage. "Signage is critical to the design. We want to have a single-minded message." That will be aided by clear category and other informational signs with white letters on black backgrounds.A transaction area at rear. This space allows customers to sit with a sales associate to discuss options on larger purchases. The design eliminates the existing listening rooms.A leveraging of online resources. Best Buy wants to inject a "Stay & Play" philosophy that allows customers to access the Internet and offers ways to test games and other products through a variety of kiosks.New opportunities for suppliers. "We want to create partnerships and alliances with our suppliers that we can grow and develop," he said. "We want to stress value-added P-O-P that engages the consumer in an interactive experience. We are not just selling those brands, we are creating an overarching experience for the Best Buy brand."P-O-P will especially help shoppers navigate the pathways, create overhead identities and help organize products within categories, he explained. Integrated fixture designs will simplify complicated categories and organize products more clearly. "This program is all about the choices being made by consumers," Damian said. "We want to put them in the drivers seat and give them the tools to navigate. This is not about pushing products -- it's about providing information."

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