What L’Occitane’s new store concept means for retail

L’Occitane en Provence has opened up a new retail destination in New York in the form of an interactive boutique. Following the experiential retail trend, the new store is 1,870 square feet of sensory delight. Designed by international artistic director Daniel Contorni and Blackburn, it’s a step into the cobblestoned streets of Provence and all that this entails.
So what does move towards experience this mean for retail? It means the bar has been set higher for in-store experiences. Here’s just a few things that are inspirational about the L’Occitane retail experiences that other retailers can learn from and be inspired by.

A glocal approach
In addition to providing an immersive, delightful experience in New York, L’Occitane has adopted a ‘glocal’ approach, creating customized experiences tailored for local clientele - whether that be in Brazil, Paris, London, China, Singapore or Toronto. These experiences have worked hard to turn each L’Occitane location into a destination, showcasing the local portfolio of services on offer.

An evolutive space
Each location is seen as an ‘evolutive space’ - which continuously changes with the seasons to reflect different campaigns. This continuously change helps keep the physical retail locations fresh and relevant, giving customers a reason for repeat visits, and avoiding a ‘been there, done that’ attitude.

​Experiencing it live
From in-store cafés and macaroons to customized products and complementary beauty treatments, L’Occitane provides even more reasons for customers to visit the physical store while telling the brand’s story through these physical experiences. For example, the new flagship on Regent Street in London offers personalised product engraving, complimentary hand and arm massages and beauty consultations in private rooms, as well as an in-store café offering limited edition Pierre Hermé macaroons. Delightful.