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Retail design firm Design Forum recently worked with technology retailer Alltel to reinvigorate its store experience with a new design that incorporates Alltel’s customer-centric brand advertising campaign.

Improved Interactivity
Design Forum's design audit and consumer research to determine the existing stores' shopability showed that customers wanted a more interactive experience.

"In the previous design, the service counter was immediately inside the door, which created a situation where there were often people just standing around there," said Andy Fritts, senior design director of Design Forum. “It gave customers a perception of negative dwell time and prevented people from really experiencing the Alltel brand and their products."

Applying the insights from the research, Design Forum created the new concept with a focus on customer interaction and improved the flow of the space. The front door opens to a welcome station that highlights a current promotion. Behind that is the “brand wall,” which features Alltel’s entire line of phones bundled with their accompanying accessories. On the right side of the store is an interactive focal that presents merchandise according to capabilities, such as mobile web or camera phones. An adjacent lounge area allows customers to wait in comfort and learn more about the Alltel brand.

The display phones in the store are live and programmed with demonstrations so that shoppers can see videos and games or make a test phone call.

Smaller Fixtures
In addition to being designed to accommodate the interactivity, the fixtures are smaller and more relevant to the product than those in the original store.

"The previous fixtures were large and heavy, and the sleek high-tech phones didn’t look right on them. We reduced the size of the fixtures so that they appropriately showcase the products and are consistent with the look of the Alltel brand while being secure," said Fritts. "It makes it easy for shoppers to interact with the merchandise and exposes the customer to Alltel’s full range of offerings."

The store has a clean, simple look with a color palette of purple, blue, and apple green. Metal laminates and maple wood tones are used to create a contemporary feel, and graphics feature simple copy with limited text. The new store design ties in with Alltel’s customer-centric brand advertising message, "Come and get your love."

Since many of Alltel´s locations are in strip centers, where the retailer has little control of the exterior, the interior was designed to attract attention from outside. The welcome wall and the arc of the brand wall are clearly visible through the glass storefront. At night, the fixtures and the rear anchor wall are illuminated with a blue glow so that the store has a presence even when it´s closed.

A Rapid Rebrand
Alltel has four store formats, ranging from 1,500 to 3,000 sq. ft., each with its own layout requirements and budget, so Design Forum created four variations of the prototype. The design was modularized to streamline and accelerate rollout.

To meet Alltel´s goal of quickly rebranding its fleet, Design Forum´s team produced 10 to 12 sets of architectural and design documents a day. The first 350 stores were rolled out in less than five months, and Alltel and Design Forum are working to rebrand the recently acquired Western Wireless stores.