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When Frank & Oak determined it would launch six new pop-up shops across the United States, the menswear brand thought it’d be best to let its customers decide which cities the stores should come to. In one of the best examples I have found of company/customer co-creation, Frank & Oak launched a campaign March and April 2015 which allowed its customers to have a say and cast their votes.
It has not yet been announced where these stores will open, but this kind of direct customer involvement is exactly where all retail is headed. Consumers want a voice, and a company who gives one to them is going to come out on top. Embracing co-creation, however, is only one of many things that Frank & Oak is doing right.
Frank & Oak, a menswear brand based in Montreal, is another one of those thriving online brands that realized a brick-and-mortar presence was necessary to truly fulfill its customers’ needs. The company, however, sees physical stores not as sales platforms, but rather as marketing vessels. Ethan Song, Frank & Oak’s Cofounder and CEO, told Fast Company:
“The store of tomorrow is less about being transactional and more about the experience and ability to use the store as a media platform. More important than the transactions we make is the idea of creating a sense of place and a feeling of community when a consumer steps into our stores. Allowing people to experience the brand firsthand and in person allows this sense of community to flourish. Incorporating things like social gatherings and coffee shops in our stores underlines our commitment to building not just a store, but a place people want to be.”
This idea of the retail store as a community gathering space is gaining significant momentum as of late, and, like many clicks to bricks companies, Frank & Oak is helping perpetuate that model. Its six Canadian stores are designed for customers to have experiences, not shopping trips. The stores offer personal style advisors, barbershops and cafés.
Song says that Frank & Oak’s physical presence is far more about communicating the brand’s value than it is about getting customers to buy their clothes. For that reason, cash registers are even hidden in the stores so customers do not feel pressured to buy something. The store, Song believes, should be a place people can just relax and hang out.
Frank & Oak launched online in 2012 and was co-founded by Song and his childhood friend, Hicham Ratnani. Every month the website offers a new collection of sophisticated menswear for creative and professional young men. As it quickly accumulated over a million members, the company began setting up pop-up shops and opened its first flagship store in Toronto in November, 2014.
For complete article on ThrivingMalls.com, please click here.
