The CityLife Shopping District— opened at the end of last year — is the largest commercial area in Italy and one of Europe’s most extensive. It was designed by the famous Zaha Hadid Architects Studio and provides shoppers with a innovative shopping experience and environment.
This summer, it is tapping into the power of kid request and family experiences to attract shoppers during the summer (back-to-school shopping) months, when Italians typically empty towns to go on holiday. From July through mid September, when schools will re-open, the shopping district will be offering kids and their families the possibility to discover and interact with endangered species through National Geographic Photo Ark. It is an exhibition by the National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore that allows shoppers to experience the lives of endangered species. The experience is robust and interactive, giving shoppers a reason to come shopping and have some summer fun while they do it.
The Photo Ark is an augmented reality system that allows families and kids (and also Integer employees on lunch break) the chance to interact with the animals through AR. The augmented reality show is called Air, Land & Sea and allows shoppers to meet many different wild animals. The AR experience is still quite new in Italy, and this opportunity is attracting many visitors—the first weekend alone has seen the participation of 48,000 people.
further enhanced this experience by partnering with CityLife to set up 13 brick sculptures of endangered animals and a series of activities. During the summer months, children who are not on holiday can participate in LEGO® building labs, where they can create small-size version of the animals in the exhibition with the guide of trainers.
This project offers an interesting example of how retail can engage shoppers by combining entertainment, experience, and ethics. It is also a demonstration that kids’ satisfaction is a leading driver that retailers cannot ignore, especially during the back-to-school time frame.
Contributed By: Paola Chiesa, Integer Milan
Image Source: Original
