Retail Expedition: The Customer's Lens & Secrets of Market Leaders
Ритейл-сафари или ритейл-туры от LINII — это живой и практичный формат, в рамках которого мы вместе с клиентом посещаем релевантные пространства, чтобы увидеть тренды, вдохновиться лучшими примерами и уточнить задачи проекта.
Это не просто экскурсия, а совместный аналитический процесс, в ходе которого мы собираем инсайты, формируем единое видение и находим точки для развития концепции.
A Retail Safari empowers retailers to see the market through their customers' eyes, get inspired by industry leaders, and—together with our team of experts—chart a clear course for their project.
Key benefits include:
- Experiencing the Store as a Customer: Stepping into the consumer's shoes to feel the atmosphere, navigate the customer journey, and understand the subtle details that directly shape the shopping experience.
- Mapping the Entire Customer Journey: Observing the complete path to purchase, from the first moment a customer encounters the space to the final point of payment and farewell across different locations.
- Decoding the Competitive Landscape: Analyzing how competitors tackle similar challenges, identifying which strategies are effective and which are outdated. We learn from peers, spotting innovative solutions and critical details.
- Assessing Real-World Execution: Evaluating the quality of a concept's implementation not from renders or presentations, but in a live environment. We test technological solutions, materials, and textures to understand the 'why' behind them, forging a tangible connection with the brand.
- Building a Shared Visual Library: The photos, notes, and group discussions during the safari create a foundational visual benchmark for all subsequent work.
- Accelerating Decision-Making: By filtering out ineffective approaches in real-time, we can immediately focus on proven, high-impact techniques.
- Identifying Strategic Vectors: Seeing the industry in action provides clarity on the broader direction of your segment and helps plot your own path forward.
- Aligning and Inspiring the Team: When all project stakeholders see and discuss the same real-world examples, it eliminates misinterpretations, refines the project brief, and serves as a powerful source of collective inspiration.
In the summer of 2025, LINII's retail experts led a series of Retail Safaris for art directors, retailers, manufacturers, visual merchandisers, and window dressers as part of a collaboration with the Sreda Summer Summit design festival.
The first route was an exploration of mono-brand fashion stores around Chistye Prudy, including the AVGVST jewelry store, the Predubezhdai fashion boutique, and the P.Y.E. optics boutique. This Safari was designed as an interactive game with quest-like elements for a group of 10 participants. All attendees were provided with headphones, and LINII's retail guides led the tour using dedicated microphones. This route demonstrated the power of a brand's holistic approach to creating and delivering a seamless brand experience.
The second Retail Safari was a deep dive into the world of concept stores on Bolshaya Nikitskaya, including Fashion Rebels and KM20. This route revealed the unique nature of curated, niche retail spaces with a distinctive approach to product selection and storytelling.
The event generated extensive, positive feedback from participants, provided us with fresh observations, and sparked meaningful discussions. Attendees were able to see retail and its intricacies through the lens of industry professionals, which proved immensely valuable.
While a customer forms their first impression of a store in just 3-6 seconds, creating a powerfully positive and memorable experience requires meticulous attention to a multitude of details. This is the very purpose of our Safari—to dissect and analyze every nuance. This makes the event not only practical but also highly educational, empowering participants to deepen their expertise and view retail from an entirely new perspective.
