Butter London elevates the airport experience

At the Sacramento Airport, this fun manicure/pedicure shop called Butter London caught my eye. I made a point of stopping on my way out of Sacramento.

The decor was fun and fresh, and was truly a great example of strong, seamless branding.

They came up with fun names for the different types of services, like "Spun Sugar" and "Bread and Butter." Their manicurists were beautifully trained and were able to explain the benefits of their products, which don't contain cancer-causing chemicals.

The packaging is fabulous and appealing.

I loved the sticker on this product!

Tip of the day: Inspiration for museum stores can come from all kinds of places. If a store grabs YOU, think about what they are doing that got your attention, and see how you might be able to incorporate those ideas into your store.
Technorati Tags: Butter London, customer service, branding, visitor experience, first impression, consultant

Sunday's signpost

Spotted in the new children's store So Childish last night, during the South Park Walkabout. A great example of using humor in what's essentially a rules sign.
Technorati Tags: visitor experience, customer service, signs, visitor experience consultant

What great retail display looks like

Recently I visited this wonderful store in Sacramento, taylor's art & soul.

I'm working with more and more museum store clients, some of whom have great display knowledge, and others don't. So I wanted to show this store as an example of fabulous display techniques. (They also did a great job of naming their store. I saw several people carrying their shopping bags, the name intrigued me, and so I was on the lookout for it during my walk around Old Sacramento.)

They took similar items and made this great circular display on a round table. Notice how they grouped by color to create a visual punch. One example of each of these cards (they're fun conversation starters) is in front of its stack.

They have a video running showing this glass artist at work. What a great selling point! And yet, I've seen it so few times in a store. (You sometimes see a video running that's for sale, but I don't recall ever seeing an artist's demonstration like this.)

They also created lovely little vignettes with objects that group well together, to help people "see" them in their home.

Last, she offered me great suggestions for restaurants, and gave me a postcard showing the dates of all three artists' receptions this year. That's a great way to get a lot of mileage out of a printed piece.

Tip of the day: Think of your museum store as telling potential customers a story. Not only does it need to be appealing to draw them in, but creative displays will help them see how your merchandise fits into their lifestyle.

Technorati Tags: Taylor’s Art & Soul, Sacramento, customer service, retail, museum store, visitor experience, retail display, consultant

Sunday's signpost

Spotted on the bathroom mirror at the South Bark Dog Wash:
Hi Team! Don't forget to smile!
Hi customers: Tell 5 friends about South Bark.
Technorati Tags: visitor experience, customer service, signs, visitor experience consultant

Asian Art Museum, part 3

In two previous posts, I talked about the entry at San Francisco's Asian Art Museum and aspects of the interpretive experience. Today I'll cover some of the extras.

I loved that families could sit and learn brush painting in the bright atrium. I might suggest having activities like these in the actual galleries, surrounded by the art, to make an even stronger connection.

I'd like to see the cafe entrance be a bit more obvious. If you miss the small sign with the menu, you'd walk right by the entrance.

Once through that door, it's still pretty subtle and could be more welcoming.

I loved all the details of the service, and the food was really tasty.

The gift shop had a nice variety of items, with attractive fixtures.

I think the store could be merchandised with more lively displays; I really enjoyed shopping there.

Thanks again to Tim H. for having me.

Tip of the day: Essential services like the cafe should be very easy to find for visitors. This increases their comfort as well as your earned revenue.

Technorati Tags: Asian Art Museum, customer service, entry, museum, visitor experience, first impression, consultant

Asian Art Museum, part 2

In a previous post, I noted that it was difficult to find my way inside this lovely museum. Once inside, I had a nice time absorbing the beautiful artwork. Banners in the main foyer act as advance organizers, telling me what's on view.

I made a beeline for the Himalayas, having always been drawn to this area and its culture.

The beautiful floor (bamboo I think) also reduced museum fatigue, not being concrete.

I like this feature, blue stickers that said, "Newly on view."

In the next post I'll show you the cafe and the gift shop.
Technorati Tags: Asian Art Museum, customer service, entry, museum, visitor experience, consultant

Sunday's signpost

At the Sacramento Airport... just the perfect sign.
London's finest manicure doesn't take long. 20 minutes/$20. No appointments necessary. Come inside.
Shows me what I'm going to get, how much it costs ($20), and how long it will take (20 minutes), the key piece of information in an airport.
Technorati Tags: visitor experience, customer service, signs, visitor experience consultant

Faking out the visitor

I recently stopped for a quick visit at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. When I parked my car, this is what I saw:

Upon a closer look, it didn't appear that this door was open... but which way is the entrance?

I turned right, walked to the corner, turned left... kept walking. While there were banners advertising the exhibitions, there was no entrance on that side either. Or the next side.

No, the entrance was on the last side of the building that I tried.

My experience could easily be changed by putting up nice wayfinding banners on every side of the building directing you to the entrance. This is especially important for people with mobility issues or fatiguing illnesses. You don't want to give people museum fatigue before they've even entered. :)

More on the delights inside in my next post. (Thanks Tim!)
Technorati Tags: Asian Art Museum, customer service, entry, museum, visitor experience, first impression, consultant