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Make Yourself at Home
Cox Communications wanted to welcome customers into a comfortable store experience that put interaction and learning first, in a fluid, relaxed environment.
Think
In 2010 SLD worked with Cox Communications to create a retail store experience. We made it easier for customers to complete transactions and learn about products in the initial design.
The focus of the stores was to move the customers from transactional payments to a product and services experience… “COX Solutions Center.” 8 years later in an effort to continually evolve to meet the needs of today’s customer, the store experience was reimagined. Cox wanted a home-like space that put customers at ease and allowed them to explore services at their leisure. Digital experience and a more humanistic approach to customer service were at the core of this new store design. Overall the new design puts the customer at the center of the experience.
Blink
In order to create a space that put customers at ease, SLD prioritized creating spaces that allow customers to either explore at their own pace or to be helped by staff.
As the consumer enters the store, they’re greeted by a staff member and asked to use the check-in tablet in order to guide them to the appropriate representative. Experience Zones throughout the store perimeter allow customers to sit down and explore all of Cox’s products and services or check in. Rather than segmenting the store in hard zones, a more fluid design using “living room” areas with comfortable furniture and merchandising that reflect a residential space. Customers can use Cox’s products as they would at home with tablets available to answer any questions. A side-by-side service experience was also key to the new approach. Digital queuing facilitates an easy process, and the open space with more fluid zones allows for a more organic, friendly interaction with customers.
The new look of the stores is light and bright, without the heavy millwork and large desks separating the customer from staff. There was an emphasis on digital experience, with a four-screen matrix in the home entertainment area to celebrate Cox’s Contour TV. All screens in the store are connected to interactive tablets to educate about the full range of products and services, which are set up in the store just as they would be when the customer takes them home.
Given that Cox wanted to be able to roll the new design out at locations ranging from flagships to small footprint kiosks, we found efficiencies for them through vendor sourcing and using off-the-shelf products. To further help COX manage a successful design roll out across their network of stores SLD created a modular design system that can be easily scaled up or down based on a wide variety of store layouts and sizes. The result is a design that provides a consistent brand experience that can be integrated across the US to all COX markets.
