This past fall, the popular online retailer Missguided became the latest etailer to set up a brick-and-mortar outpost. Located in a hip east London neighborhood, the new shop gives fans of the ecommerce site a new way to enjoy the brand's fashion-forward wares.
The new Missguided shop opened in London's Westfield Stratford City shopping centre last fall and it serves as the brand's first standalone store. The store itself is 20,000-square-feet and features a social media-friendly interior designed by the agency Dalziel & Pow. This includes beachy wallpaper prints, neon signs in the ever-popular 'Instagram pink' hue and even a vending machine selling a drink dubbed 'unicorn dreams'.
Designed to appeal to fashion-forward millennials, the new flagship gives the brand's loyal fans a way to shop for their favorite styles in a more hands-on, immersive environment.
Glamorous eCommerce Flagships
Missguided's New Flagship is the eTailer's First Standalone Store
Trend Themes
1. Brick-and-mortar Expansion - The trend of online retailers opening physical stores provides an opportunity for ecommerce brands to enhance the customer experience and reach a wider audience through immersive environments.
2. Social Media-friendly Interiors - The popularity of social media-friendly store designs presents an opportunity for retailers to create unique and shareable experiences that align with their brand image.
3. Millennial-focused Retail - The focus on appealing to fashion-forward millennials opens up opportunities for brands to design innovative retail spaces that cater to the preferences and needs of this demographic.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion Retail - The fashion industry can benefit from opening innovative flagship stores that allow customers to interact with products and brands in a more tangible way.
2. Interior Design - The demand for designing social media-friendly retail spaces presents opportunities for interior design firms to create immersive environments that meet the needs of modern consumers.
3. Beverage and Vending - The integration of unique vending machines, like Missguided's 'unicorn dreams' drink dispenser, showcases an opportunity for the beverage and vending industry to create novel products and experiences.