In the fourth dimension

The future of DIY retailing is taking place in the fourth dimension and in Chinese for the time being. At least, that is how things look from Kingfisher’s point of view. To be exact, the European DIY market leader from the United Kingdom is now operating a concept store under the name of Vivid Homes by B&Q in Shanghai, the Chinese megacity. Here – in a country which cannot possibly be regarded as an established DIY market where the growth rates have been exhausted, and which has so far given the western DIY retailers a really tough time of it – the Brits are testing the prospects for the future of the very latest in retail technologies. And so they are venturing into the above-mentioned fourth dimension: the 4D laboratory is a showpiece department in the store, which is located on the two lower floors of a multi-storey building. How come four dimensions? This is how it works: customers wanting to design a new apartment or do a thorough renovation job on an older one have a Vivid employee measure it up for them. The resulting plan does not only serve simply as the basis for a 3D visualisation: rather, customers can put on 3D glasses in the lab, then enter their newly designed virtual apartment and, as it were, move around it with the help of the control technology – and try out all the various possibilities for the design of floors, walls, ceilings and fittings. The materials for this are of course available in the store, however, customers are not forced to actually purchase them here. They must expect to invest a sum of around RMB 50 000 – 60 000 (some € 6 000 – 7 000) for designing an apartment that is 100 m² in size. Furnishings are not included in the calculation, nor are the costs of the installation service that Vivid Homes can provide through its connection with a suitable specialist firm. Who can or wants to afford this in Shanghai? Malcolm Pearce explains that the offer is aimed at the middle-income group and step-up people. The manager first moved to the DIY retail group from Ikea as director supply chain – other international, before going to China nearly four years ago to develop the concept store. He sees the younger generation as his target group, people who are interested in new ideas and have perhaps been abroad as well. And can be enthusiastic about technology and new media in the shopping process. For the 4D lab is by no means the only new feature being tested in the concept store, and perhaps not even the most important one: Vivid is…