The shops of the German-based mail order company Deerberg Versand GmbH draw visitors into a local Swedish story, constantly igniting new positive associations with an abundance of details. The staging of the two stores in Münster, Fashion and Footwear, was realized by the proprietor, Stefan Deerberg, together with the brand and experience agency K.U.L.T.OBJEKT from Dresden.

Jens Fischer, proprietor of K.U.L.T.OBJEKT, uses examples from the shoe store to explain how he stages the shopping experience:
“The art of a good store concept lies in awakening desire for the products in the window and the entrance area and to ensure that this level of desire is maintained throughout the store by means of an abundance of positive details. The customers take the shoes on display and find a comfy chair somewhere in the store where they can try them on. They sit down, relax and try on the different shoes, looking around as they do so. Perhaps they are reminded of one of the stories from the world of Astrid Lindgren or one of the milieu studies of Swedish artist Carl Larsson. They notice new details in the store all the time: perhaps an old, elaborately designed door handle, the fanciful foot of a metal shelf or a lush bouquet of flowers.

While they take in the many “loving” details, losing all concept of time, a chain of thoughts is set in motion that could go something like this: ‘curved ornaments – a basket of apples here – a bouquet of flowers there – Deerberg – brightly coloured, fun shoes.’ Via these pleasant emotional chains of association, the customers learn to perceive their environment anew – in this case, the fashion items and shoes that are on offer. Their minds want to make space for new perceptions that evoke positive emotions and, therefore, the usual demand-driven thoughts are suppressed. Thoughts like: “I need shoes” or “How much do these shoes cost?” are replaced with “I love shoes”, for example. It is, like all types of entertainment shopping, a game of emotions, desires and possibilities.”

The two new stores in Münster are based on a Scandinavian-inspired country-house mood that reveals a little more of the story of the Deerberg brand in each and every detail. With the warmth of a country home in Sweden in the summer – patterned wallpaper, armchairs dotted here and there, chandeliers and free-standing, deco furniture – the rooms impart a feeling of relaxation. “We took great care to ensure that no feelings of pressure are generated in terms of space, time or products. Signalling to the customer that everything is hunky-dory is a conceptual ingredient of the store idea,” says Jens Fischer.

The heart of the fashion store is a coffee shop. Baked goods and coffee, apples and juices which are available to the customers free of charge are part of the concept. There is even a little library: A bench and easy chairs with bright covers – “old favourites” – are grouped around the bookshelf, in front of the country-house-style bay window. The shelf is filled with books depicting the Deerberg range. The decorative white wooden or metal ornaments, reminiscent of the Swedish veranda culture and the style of a Swedish wooden cabin, provide continuity.

A connection to the mail-order section, the core business of the company, has been integrated into the POS stores. Technological features are implemented in a targeted manner in order to raise the “experience” character of the store even further. The technology is discreetly installed in the background, so as not to interrupt the consistent, homely ambience. With a built-in control tool, various pre-designed lighting concepts can be called up in the fashion store. Morning or evening atmospheres are created via the interplay of light of various colours, while a warm summer effect can be created when the weather outside is wet and grey.

For the purposes of the cross-channel strategy, many connections to the web-shop and the catalogue have been integrated in the form of a ceiling-to-floor display with the cover picture from the current catalogue and the actual catalogues which are dotted about all over the shop. Picture galleries, which support the homely character of the store, also depict motifs of the current collection from the catalogue. In addition, iPad stands in both shops invite customers to indulge in a bit of digital browsing.