W For Women

W for Women is indeed one of the prominent names in the Indian fashion and apparel industry. The respective brand was founded in 2001. Since then, it has always emphasized on offering Indian females with modern fashion, that too, in a contemporary retail setting. W is widely known for developing clothes that perfectly align with the body type, lifestyle, and personal preferences of the modern Indian lady.​

Established for more than 25 years, W for Women has managed to build a strong identity as an apparel brand in the Indian retail market. However, the brand was looking forward to strengthening its relationship with the customers and making additions to its existing offerings. Hence, to accomplish this, W decided to enter a completely new vertical that was different from clothing. It decided to launch a new range of cosmetics and beauty products that suited the Indian skin tone and type.​

Clearly, entering a new product category was indeed a very challenging task for W. The brand required a specific type of store display fixtures that could represent its identity and, at the same time, encourage customers to explore the displayed products. This is what gave birth to W and D’Art’s partnership.​

The Challenge​

When the team at D’Art started working on this project, the main challenge that they faced was designing and developing retail store fixtures that went beyond just showcasing the newly launched product categories and could instead serve more purposes. They wanted to create a display that did more than one thing at a time: displayed products, appealed to the eyeballs of customers, encouraged them to interact with new launches, and eventually convert trials into purchases. Also, they wanted the fixtures to enhance the overall apparel shop design.​

Apart from this, there were other challenges involved in this project. In the case of fashion, consumers usually have a non-linear journey. The same was the case with W for Women. Visitors first moved around the entire store, interacted with multiple touchpoints, which they felt were attractive, and further made decisions at different stages. Considering this, it became mandatory for the display to act in a way that improved discoverability and simultaneously motivated the shoppers to interact with the products for a longer period.​

Different brands have different customers. And even a single brand has different customers. Well, this aspect is a challenge in itself. W’s consumers were not similar to each other. As a result, the display had to cater to different shopper motivations, including the following ones:​

●       Traditional shoppers, who mainly focus on the pricing.

●       Beginners, who had no knowledge about beauty products and were new to this category

●       Beauty enthusiasts, who loved following the latest trends and community options 

At the same time, D’Art also had to keep in mind that this is not a cosmetic store design project. Instead, cosmetics and beauty products are being integrated into a store that primarily falls under the category of apparel retail.​

Solutions Provided​

In order to effectively address these challenges, D’Art Private Limited decided to follow a consumer centric design approach. The assigned team conducted a detailed study on consumer behavior as they basically wanted to understand how W’s target audience behaves both outside and inside the retail outlet.​

Further, the experience design was built around four specific emotional pillars: Solace, Acceptance, Liberty, and Advancement. This further gave birth to an experience mix of Platform × Cult × Visionary × Magic Lamp that eventually shaped the customer interaction within the store.​

Modularity, technology integration, and a mix of textures were three major principles that finalized the island display unit design. Because the display was modular, it could easily adapt to W’s different store types and sizes. On the other hand, the integration of digital screens and different light modes informed the customer about the new products and enhanced engagement, respectively.​

The team utilized natural textures and materials in order to develop a premium and aspirational feel that did not just attract customers but also aligned with the brand identity.​

Results Achieved​

The island display unit effortlessly and successfully transformed the cosmetics section into a retail setting driven by experience. The visually appealing design did not just appeal to the eyeballs of target customers but also enhanced the product visibility within W’s stores.

​Because the customers felt motivated to try and test the products, the engagement rate and dwell time significantly increased. Also, the shoppers were provided with a better product experience, due to which they seamlessly developed a stronger interest in the new cosmetic range.