Article

Experience is king

AREA15 CEO Winston Fisher is passionate about retail development and delivering immersive experiential experiences through AR and storytelling. He shares his insights on why when it comes to retail, story-driven content is king.

Photo: provided

February 13, 2020 by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

One of the biggest, and unarguably most dynamic, retail ventures will launch this year in Las Vegas, featuring a 200,000-square-foot complex housing everything from curated retail and interactive art to live performances and exclusive dining options.

The experiential bazaar, called AREA15, will even house a key permanent exhibition of well known Santa Fe art collective Meow Wolf. AREA15 experiences include Dueling Axes, a premier axe-throwing lounge; steampunk AR experience and even a glide system from Walltopia that lets visitors soar 20 or 30 feet above the retail environment. There are also plans for a wedding chapel and a music hall.

It's the genius creation of Michael Beneville, of Beneville Studios, and Winston Fisher, of Fisher Brothers, a family-owned real estate company. Also on board is Chris Wink, founder of Blue Man Group, who serves as director of content.

Fisher, AREA15's CEO, provided insight on the two years of work behind AREA15 during a panel talk at the recent National Retail Federation show held in New York. Retail Customer Experience reached out to get his insight on retail trends and what spurs his drive and passion for developing innovative retail experience.

Q. How would you define the importance of the customer experience within the retail environment today — and are retailers lagging a bit in understanding where it stands?

A. Content is king. Having a Santa or an Easter Bunny isn't enough. Far from it. Consumers want immersive experiences and environments and that content must be carefully curated and ever-changing, blending one tenant experience with the next and presenting engaging ways to entice customers to share their experiences through social media.

Q. Why is storytelling becoming an essential or critical approach in the customer experience and how is it coming into play?

A. Storytelling is crucial. It conjures emotions and memories and has the potential to bring you back again and again. Also, storytelling must be experienced in real life — it is nothing that can be authentically replicated online. For a mall or a shopping venue to stay competitive, a big box anchor is no longer the answer. Look to location-based, immersive experience creators such as Meow Wolf or Two Bit Circus.

Q. Given the increasing expectations of consumers for an engaging and rewarding experience what do you expect to see come into play in five years and even longer, a decade, down the road?

A. Consumers crave immersive experiences that create authentic connections and stir emotions. That's not going to change any time soon. Therefore, shopping venues should offer an organic mix of pop-ups and interesting brands, some of which should be  ever-changing. To take it a step further, consumers must be given a reason to come into the store. An example would be if you're going to sell a jacket, offer a cold room where they can try it on or create a VR experience where the customer can see his/her avatar wearing that jacket in a simulated winter environment. These are the sorts of uncommon experiences guests can expect when AREA15 opens.  

Q. What predictions do you have with CX trends in 2020?

A. To stay in the game, the retailers who will survive will be the ones who know they need to reinvent themselves and take the risks necessary. Experiential commerce will keep customers coming back for more.

About Judy Mottl

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Judy Mottl is editor of Retail Customer Experience and Digital Signage Today. She has decades of experience as a reporter, writer and editor covering technology and business for top media including AOL, InformationWeek, InternetNews and Food Truck Operator.

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