The Theatre of Retail

Kate Spade New York Shoppable Barricade from The Science Project on Vimeo.

In an innovative move which heralds another advance in the merging of online and offline shopping experiences, fashion house Kate Spade have collaborated with The Science Project, a retail innovation firm who specialise in the Theatre of Retail.

Kate Spade wanted to create excitement and dialog with new customers before the doors to the new store opened, so The Science Project created a pre-opening installation that transformed the static “Coming Soon” sign into a digital shoppable barricade. Shoppers are invited to interact with the barricade using touch screens, answering a series of questions before being directed to a personalised shopping basket based on their answers. They could then purchase their recommendations using the same touch screens.

Not only did the screens engage customers and build sales in an otherwise unproductive space, they allowed Kate Spade to gain insight into customers' tastes at the specific location, informing future stock levels at the store.

The brand has already shown itself to be at the forefront of the growing trend for adding online elements to traditional offline locations. In 2013 Kate Spade teamed up with eBay to sell its Saturday collection via digital storefronts on vacant shops across New York.