our dear little ones
"Une chanson douce" - Henri Salvador
And what if a business dedicated to the little ones had the power to bring trust, tenderness, surprise, mutual aid and discovery… An educational business, a business with beautiful values, a business that stimulates our astrocytes, those little stars in our brains, by guiding our emotions of well-being! ⭐️
Emotions are part of our daily lives, they can be very varied, we feel them almost constantly, they influence us, sometimes overtake us…
Emotions are one of the most important channels of communication, especially for the very young. In fact, certain facial expressions can be perceived and interpreted right from the start of life. This is the case for basic universal emotions, which are the same in every culture!
The eminent American psychologist Paul Ekman formulated the theory of universal basic emotions in the 1970s.
An emotion is said to be universal if, when a person feels it, they express it in the same way on their face as any other human being, whatever their culture or origins. According to studies carried out by Paul Ekman in different cultures, each primary emotion is associated with a particular facial expression, which is common to all. For example, when we’re happy, we smile, and the corners of our mouth go up! 🙂
What we can learn from the development of primary emotions during childhood is that our emotions are born in utero and continue to develop from the moment we are born. Every human being is conditioned by his or her environment in the expression of his or her emotions: from identifying, understanding, using and regulating them.
Commerce, which is able to take these data into account, will be a forerunner, because to address each person in a unique way, there’s a whole range of intangible data to master.
In the meantime, before tackling these new analyses and customer data from an early age, Appuntamento is delighted to take you on a tour of a selection of innovative retail destinations linked to childhood!
Here are the different stages of the retail tour we’re proposing today:
– In Sweden with IKEA and its new immersive application,
– In Japan, in a magical candy store that implements solutions for a more inclusive society,
– In New York, one of our favorite addresses, to discover 3 innovative concepts in the way of consuming, taking care of target customers and offering family entertainment,
– In Paris, to swim with turtles and personalized fish in a unique aquarium…
Give us your hand, and we’ll be happy to take you on a trip around the world…
With Love,
Daniela 💗
lalo land : just their size, just your style
Have you heard of slow parenting? Slow parenting originated in the USA in the 1980s and is part of the “slow” movement. As with slow food, slow cosmetics or slow tourism, it’s all about slowing down the pace in the family sphere.
Carl Honoré is one of the leading authors of this movement. In his book Éloge de la lenteur, he defines the movement this way: “bringing time and pleasure back to the center of the parent-child relationship.”
Influenced by the slow parenting movement, two fathers, Greg Davinson and Michael Wieder, propose adopting a change of tempo to enjoy children more and no longer make them live at a hellish pace. They set out to simplify shopping for babies and children by creating the LALO brand in 2019.
Initially sold online, the brand has become very popular with many celebrities. They create “designer” childcare products for children and their parents! 👪
In November 2021, they open their only point of sale: LALO LAND, located in New York’s Noho district, in their image: a bright, welcoming, user-friendly place for babies, children and their parents.
On a large, bright surface, the boutique is designed like a modern family home, with multiple zones for exploration, a living room and a dining room. The aisles are extra wide to allow visitors with strollers to enjoy the experience 100%. Lalo’s range of play, meal and bathtime products is brought to life in store with dedicated areas.
Key points to remember:
– A sales team and spaces that love children: An appointment with a Lalo expert, a stroller drop-off area, a baby-changing corner with everything you need, and another cosy area for quiet breastfeeding.
– Feeling like a designer “nursery” where you can spend time with babies and children, LALO LAND gives you the chance to play as a family.
– The space can be booked for birthday celebrations.
– Numerous events are organized, including parenting seminars and family fun courses.
What I liked:
– The Babylist bulletin board, which lets customers share with the brand the items they’d like the store to carry.
– The corner for learning how to sort waste while having fun from an early age.
year-round vacation at camp
Every American child attends a Summer Camp at least once in his or her life! ⛺️
The history of Summer Camps goes back to 1861. The story goes that Frederick W. Gunn and his wife Abigail took a class of boys aged 6 to 12 on a hundred-mile hike from Washington, D.C., to set up camp in the wilderness. The idea was to offer them a chance to escape an increasingly urban modern life. The rough life was to build character and prevent humanity from dying of confinement.
In 1900, there were around a hundred camps, but by 1918, there were over a thousand.
But as camps became more popular and more numerous, their commitment to a “natural” way of life weakened. Camps began to offer movies, radio programs and tennis lessons!
In the 1930s, a leader of the summer camp movement complained that “all the activities we can find to fit into the daily program are put on, but there is a notable lack of camping – of outdoor living – the very thing that gave birth to the movement”.
The founders of the CAMP concept, Ben and Nikki Kaufman, are using this “excuse” to create their chain of experiential toy stores targeting children aged 0-12, teenagers and the adults who accompany them.
Currently, they have nine stores across the U.S.
CAMP works with toy manufacturers and brands to test products before they go to market. Their stores offer a range of services and activities.
Let’s visit the Hudson Yards store in New York, which pays tribute to the sleepaways of New England. It’s hard not to feel like a kid again: there’s no shortage of activities in this store. CAMP has taken some of the most popular elements of its other stores and transposed them to the Hudson Yards site. In addition to the Bronco (a vintage 1970s Ford), the store is decorated with installations reminiscent of New England summer camps; kids and adults can dance in the pink sequined disco room, climb into two treehouse “bunks”, stopping for a minute to admire the view of the Vessel, and slide from one into a foam “pond” with LED lights, and then enjoy an Ample Hills ice cream at the “canteen”.
“There are probably a lot of places where kids are very happy, but we thought there was a real need in the market to serve the whole family.”
Key points to remember:
– CAMP’s revenues come from 3 different channels: brand sponsorships, ticket sales for regularly renewed experiences and themes, and finally, sales of toys, books and treats.
– The large size of their stores: the Hudson Yards store has a surface area of 557 m².
What I liked:
– The immersive, interactive play areas.
– The Schmutz Station Slime Bar: a gooey, elastic paste that can be stretched and shaped, with the option of making a personalized Schmutz Signature.
– A photo booth to create memories.
american dream : over-the-top entertainment
A shopping mall located an hour by bus from Manhattan opened in October 2019, as its name might suggest, “AMERICAN DREAM” is all about entertainment! 🎢
A culture shock from the very first steps inside the center, visitors are in for a treat not only for the eyes, but also for the ears !!!! Physical and sonic effervescence, children and adults riding on the backs of plush, life-size animals, electric minicars to transport the whole family, strollers and belongings included, transforming circulation in this center into a veritable treasure hunt… Logos and signage make the journey even more colorful!
AMERICAN DREAM is made up of 6 large atriums that let in natural light, with a total surface area of 450,000m2:
– BIG SNOW ski and snowboard resort
– A DREAMWORKS water park, under a huge glass dome.
– NICKELODEON UNIVERSE theme park
– A DREAM WHEEL Ferris wheel for a panoramic view of the New York skyline 🎡
– A SEA LIFE aquarium
– LEGOLAND DISCOVERY CENTER park
– An ice rink for up to 4,800 spectators
– MUNCHIES FOOD HALL food court
– Not forgetting the shopping center, with 134 stores, 57 restaurants and bars, and “The Avenue”, to be inaugurated in September 2021 and dedicated entirely to luxury brands.
The American Dream is the idea that anyone living in the United States, through hard work, courage and determination, can become prosperous. America is characterized by its wide open spaces, the gold rush, the great waves of Irish and Italian immigration in the 19th century, and the skyscraper cities of New York, Chicago and elsewhere. The AMERICAN DREAM shopping center polarizes all these notions of grandeur and success through all the activities it offers.
To understand and synthesize : AMERICAN DREAM is a cross between Disneyland and Dubai Mall, with 50% shopping and 50% entertainment.
To date, all that’s missing is the 800-room resort hotel, which will soon be completed.
Key points to remember:
– A multibrand themed venue focusing on family entertainment and shopping.
– Customer service pushed to the limit: lounges, baby care areas, daily equipment rental (strollers, wheelchairs or electric vehicles).
– VIP service for exclusive programs.
– Parties, birthdays and other events can be organized on a private basis, including fashion shows, photo shoots, corporate events and weddings.
– And don’t forget the emergency medical center.
– AMERICAN DREAM is the vision of the shopping mall of the future that is taking shape with this first proposal, with a second one on the way in Miami, Florida.
What I liked:
– The astonishing mix of different activities, the visitor is spoilt for choice.- Going from the water park to “The Avenue” is a real change of scenery: you go from bright lights to a cosy atmosphere, from children’s screams to soft music, from a profusion of colors to a black/white/beige neutrality, all while staying in the same place.
– A must-see if you’re interested in the evolution of shopping malls and imagining new propositions.
lego takes new york by storm
Founded in Denmark in 1932, LEGO is one of the world’s best-known toy brands, and is of course present in New York with two LEGO Store department stores in the heart of Manhattan.
Right from the shop window, visitors will discover several New York scenes, original creations that can’t be found anywhere else! From Rockefeller Center to Time Square, via the famous New York subway and the “yellow cabs”, visitors can experience the city in life-size, made with the famous little plastic bricks.
New this year, the store offers the chance to create your own Lego character, with each participant becoming the creator of his or her own figurine. First, there’s the computer design, then the 3D printer, which is always a fascinating moment, not forgetting the containers for adding complementary parts: heads, hair and other accessories. No step is overlooked in the creation and elaboration of this little souvenir in the Lego effigy! 🌈
Things to remember:
– New York’s LEGO Store is not just another LEGO store.
– LEGO in all its forms: from the largest to the smallest, literally and figuratively.
– An immersive, creative experience.
What I liked:
– From store to theme park, there’s just one step: for absolute fans, Lego offers bus tickets, pickup right in front of the store, to reach, an hour from Manhattan, Legoland, their theme park opening in May 2021.
– An experience that continues at home: the Lego Architecture range lets you build a miniature skyline with the One World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Flatiron Building, the Statue of Liberty, not to mention the Guggenheim Museum.
– Leave with my personalized Lego.
in japan, a magical candy store
Do you know what a DAGASHI is? DAGASHI are cheap sweets and snacks that resemble American “Penny Candy” confectionery! 🍬
MAGIC DAGASHIYA TYROL-DO is responsible for turning confectionery into good deeds to support children living in poverty or loneliness.
The capsule machine at the entrance to the store has the magic to change the value of the currency, as this dispenser can only be used by children under the age of 18.
Thanks to the 100-yen token, children can obtain value-added services such as curry rice, bread, drinks and potato chips that cost more than 100 yen, as well as “soft” services such as homework help or psychological support, while guaranteeing their dignity.
These value-added services are available to all children at the same price, whether rich or poor.
How can we ensure that this “magic” continues? MAGIC DAGASHIYA TYROL-DO works like the Italian “caffé sospeso” system. Adjacent to the sweet store is the snack bar: every meal consumed at the snack bar is the financial source of value-added services for the children.
MAGIC DAGASHIYA TYROL-DO was awarded the Good Design Gran Award in 2022 for its support for the development of children in difficulty.
Key points to remember:
The invention of the “Tyrol bill”: the single monetary unit of exchange in MAGIC DAGASHIYA TYROL-DO stores.
Donors are transformed from “spectators” into natural, psychologically unburdened participants.
The magic store connects children’s support activities with groups who are unable to participate in social welfare on a permanent basis.
The integration of the company into the community and the public good.
What I liked:
Doing good while having fun.
Creating a place to bring children together without discrimination.
A strong inspiration to think about business in a different way: improving society, strengthening links between people and helping those in need are goals that will have to be increasingly integrated into all forms of business and commerce.
the little adventure by ikea
IKEA and META have teamed up with Stockholm-based immersive technology company Warpin Reality to create an interactive augmented reality experience aimed at families visiting Ikea stores in Sweden.
Called The Little Adventure (“Lilla Äventyret” in Swedish), the AR game can be opened like a filter on Instagram and aims to increase interest as well as knowledge about ocean life. Children swim (virtually) with various sea creatures and learn more about them! 🐋
The game also encourages players to get involved in themes such as waste and pollution prevention. With all three companies in the game committed to increasing plastic recycling, for example, last year’s IKEA Blåvingad collection.
Ikea Retail Sweden is the first retailer in the world to explore the Meta SPARK AR solution on such a large scale, with the campaign launched in 21 stores last February.
“We are constantly exploring new ways to meet our customers. Currently, we’re doing so by developing a game for anyone looking for a fun experience for the whole family,” says Helena Gouiveia, Marketing Manager at Ikea Retail Sweden.
“The game is based on our Blåvingad collection, as well as on children’s interests and curiosity, but also on their concerns related to our oceans. Through this game, children can learn more about marine life and what’s happening below the surface while they’re in our stores.”
As technology evolves, so do the opportunities for brands to create more compelling and immersive experiences.
Key points to remember:
– First augmented reality family experience by IKEA and META.
– Moving from an Instagram filter to creating a unique experience for the whole family.
What I liked:
– Inspiring to see how Ikea is exploring new possibilities.
– Excellent example of how virtual reality can be used to enhance the in-store customer experience.
like a fish in water
Have you ever drawn your turtle and small fish and then watched them evolve in a beautiful aquarium with other fish? 🐠
And then follow their evolution along the canvas, be amazed because by touching them, you see them spinning even faster or changing direction….
Just go to the top floor of the Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche department store for a guaranteed return to childhood effect and a marine immersion without receiving a drop of water…
“Comme un poisson dans l’eau” was imagined by TeamLab, the Japanese art collective. Formed by Toshiyuki Inoko in Tokyo in 2001, this group of interdisciplinary artists interweaves technology with nature, pushing art to its extreme.
The strength of this immersive event is the instantaneous “work of art” that results from a sum of individual creative acts to give life to an immense collective and poetic work.
Key points to remember:
– For the first time, Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche is offering this immersive activity for young and old alike, continuing to perpetuate the links that this Parisian department store has forged since its creation with Art in general, and with imminent artists some more varied than others.
– The programming of in-store events has become an unavoidable topic in 2023, and offering an evolving store as well as a genuine discovery of the ever-changing catalog of products and experiences that are renewed throughout the year is becoming the norm.
– The store is, par excellence, a place of connection, exchange and socialization. The mission of every retailer is therefore to maintain an engaging annual program. Make your store vibrate to the tempo of the different seasons.
– For the store: stay true to its ideas, be proud of its achievements, because customers will be even happier to come and share them, knowing that they are at the heart of all the efforts.
What I liked:
– The aquarium is a dreamlike co-creation space par excellence, under the sign of tenderness and fantasy.
– The muffled, cuddly atmosphere lets you experience a timeless moment while playing with all these little sea creatures.
– Personalization: each turtle, fish and seahorse is stamped with the name of its designer. They’re even easier to identify.
Please feel free to share this newsletter with others if you like it, and give me your feedback so that I can suggest topics that speak to you ….
Appuntamento helps founders of fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands design their smart experience, a dynamic and creative retail experience tailored to their needs.
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