It’s a fact, consumers are changing the way they are interacting with both hospitality and retail environments. With one losing out to the online market and the other to take away apps, could retail and hospitality tag team and perhaps reclaim the footfall following they previously had?
When you have a great product, people are invested and want more of it, this is when savvy companies could benefit from this following. Many companies have started to hybrid their services and introduce different elements into their offerings to entice and excite their clientele as well as deliver that exceptional service that brings them back time and time again.
We’ve looked at some companies that have started to blend services to pack a punch for their customers.
Bill’s Restaurant
If you have ever been to Bill’s restaurant you will have noticed its home-from-home atmosphere with walls assembled with a selection of their own brand products. Ranging from home-brewed gin, tea, sweets and preserves through to homeware items like teapots and gift cards. They care about their customer experience and even allow you to take a little part of the experience home with you. This multiplicity makes them stand out from other brands and gives that little extra homely flare.
IKEA
Everybody has once in their lifetime sampled the famous meatballs and sauce, if you haven’t, where have you been living under a rock? Within every branch of this iconic blue and yellow warehouse, we have all seen the hustle and bustle of the scandi-style restaurant space filled to the brim with their own designs and products.
Once the resting has been completed, this is where IKEA becomes incredibly cunning. By allowing users the ability use its products first-hand in their restaurant, it has a lasting impression and shoppers can convince themselves that their purchase is warranted so pick up all the items in the next part of their retail journey.
This cross combination of destination, food, lifestyle and home wear has made this brand one of the biggest furniture brands worldwide with probably all households having a least one IKEA item somewhere.
Nando’s PERi-PERi
Now arguably one of the most recognised chicken brands in the UK, it’s been gathering peri-peri fans since the ’90s. Through a combination of great food, heritage, community atmosphere and quick service, they have become the go-to restaurant for a quick bite to eat for all ages
What has led the company’s success is its selection of bespoke PERi-PERi sauces that are used in its restaurant food. Nando’s have taken the public affection for these sauces one step further creating take-home versions. Although not the first time a restaurant chain has retailed it sauces, it is, however, the first time a great example of how a brand has jumped on an opportunity to increase brand identity further. Their sauces are now across the UK in fridge’s and cupboards and are eagerly waiting to fulfil that cheeky Nando’s moment we all crave!
Soho House’s The Store
As well as hospitality, retail is also a great example of how hybridising offerings can entice consumers to visit and spend. Soho House’s The Store in Berlin is a great example of this. This store is synonymous with exclusivity and luxury and has a comfortable feel about it. Within this store, you can buy everything from fragrance, home wear items through to fashion and food. This immersive experience is designed to showcase and encourage you to purchase those items you have pined over and by having everything curiously under one roof spending becomes easy and enjoyable.
Shinola
Since 2011 This luxury design brand has been creating a range of items which include watches, jewellery and audio. Through highly skilled personnel they celebrate thoughtful design and the beauty of industry through every product they make.
The brand is rooted in celebrating the appreciation of quality products and experiences, and it’s exactly why the company had an early desire to create a place where visitors and locals could get lost in the wonder of thoughtful design. They have opened several industrial-inspired retail units across America, Hawaii and the UK and have even opened the world’s first Shinola Hotel. Described as ‘Detroit’s new living room’, its Located in the heart of the city’s historic Woodward shopping district, this 129-room boutique hotel offers a completely original hospitality experience.
By Shinola creating a multifaceted approach their desire to reinvigorate the ideals of manufacturing and design at the highest quality and standard becomes a lifestyle aesthetic. In a world where there is a shift to quality, mindfulness and craftsmanship and a move away from fast fashion, maybe this approach will become the new normal.
Value added is something that seems to excite the consumer and hybridising is a great way for companies to drive brand identity and cement consumers of today as the brand ambassadors for tomorrow.
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