Auckland Museum Retail Store refresh

Grand Foyer Store retail transformation. Creating a customer focused, functional & commercially effective space that better reflected the look & feel of the The Auckland Museum and reflect the collections they house

The Challenge:

The existing space was dim and uninviting to passers by and competed with the products on offer instead of creating a backdrop for them to shine. With extremely high fixtures a lot of product was out of reach and navigation through the store was confusing due to product segmentation unclear.

The Idea:

Refresh the space to create a welcoming and engaging retail experience for both local and international visitors. A space that showcases the products inspired by the collections of New Zealand in way that is proud and appealing. The store and product categories were divided into 3 key customer zones that catered to different customer needs and provided a unique offering to each group.

Tourist zone – these products are uniquely NZ and can be purchased by tourists to take a piece Aotearoa home.
Momento zone – these products could be used as gifts or trinkets locking in a memory of the experience.
Enthusiasts zone – these products are destination pieces, they are sought out and can be taken home as memorabilia.

The store was opened up to create clear site lines and easy navigation to the key product categories and new fixtures designed to best showcase the needs of the items on display. This included a magnetic frame wall for the jewellery where work from different artists could be displayed together in product groups or families. Hotspot tables to bring together stories and can also be used for promotional space during peak trading periods. In He Korahi Maori a perspex hanging wall was created as a backdrop to best display wall hangings, carved masks, musical instruments and weaponry and a consultation area where customers can discuss some of the high end pieces and look at extended ranges on an ipad.