Client 
A major international leisure developer

Brief 
We have a ground-breaking community leisure development in the Gulf, and part of its appeal is retail supporting the development. How do we ensure that the residential community - drawn by the leisure environment - gets the retail it needs and wants? What does ‘community retail’ really mean in the Gulf’s premium gated leisure communities? And where does the catchment for such niche retail start – and stop? 

Approach 
Working through our network The Chambers with complementary Chambers partners, we sourced hard-to-get demographic and catchment information, creating a series of archetypes and archetypal customer journeys to assist the architectural process already under way. Testing the proposition in anonymised local creative workshops with “characters” who represented the archetypes, we were able to trial not only their journeys, but also the retail zoning, category and tenant mix, preferred modes of customer marketing and customer service.

Outcome 
A clear point of difference was needed for this community retail to attract not only local residents but also those from adjacent communities who constituted a major portion of the catchment. In the Gulf’s overheated retail market, and with drive-time seriously affected by poor transportation infrastructure, the mall needed to be more than a community mall but a clear destination to make the journey worthwhile. With work still in progress, and as part of the greater retail offer within the phased leisure development, the mall looks set to achieve destination status within the desired catchment, and the existing architectural design and operational guidelines have been adjusted to meet the new profile. 

Feedback
“It's definitely worth my while to go!” Archetypal participant, Gulf creative workshop

Understanding Customers - II