Multi-Storey Brand Presence; Outdated or Cutting Edge

In Malaysia, despite the overpopulation of malls within urban areas, brands are still using them in the same way they have always done. Acquire an attractive and viable tenancy agreement and location to drive footfall and purchases.

However brands such as UNIQLO are buying up multi-storey locations to offer a new type of experience to consumers by offering coffee, better store experience, self-checkout machines and so on…but is it enough?

I don’t think so.

Brands still see their stores as JUST a way to drive purchase but not to create an immersive experience for their consumers.

Consumers already know about your product and the way it enriches their lives but not about the brand. The brand has become a smaller and smaller factor in driving purchases as clients focus on communicating price, technology, and features.

If brands utilised the store to tell the story behind the brand then stronger affinity would be created with consumers as these potential shoppers would be walking through the experience rather than through a screen by an influencer or a digital ad.

One can only hope that a client becomes brave enough to disrupt the retail space by better brand storytelling rather than a new way to layout products.