Case Study

Reinventing B2B Retail

Western Digital

Services

Industries

Apparel & Lifestyle

Overview

First B2B Experience Ever Built Offline

Western Digital provided professional buyers access to explore products with an interactive high-tech look. They previously did not make B2B high-tech offers offline.

Buyer-Centric Intelligence in Practice

A data-first and research-backed concept was brought to life to create the right environment for making and buying decisions that put transparency, trust, and experience first to build an easy way to make tough purchase decisions with intelligence.

Technology-Assisted Discovery

By placing intelligent RFID-enabled screen panels, prospects were guided with extensive product details, real-time data, comparisons, and product discoveries all without relying on a sales trainee.

Built scalable Retail Infrastructure

Developed on a modular concept with state of the technology; it was replicated in other markets and established as an offline B2B Western Digital blueprint.

“Western Digital's goal for was to create a transition between shopper desire offline and tech specs online, and the solution for its B2B customers to provide an intuitive staff light solution with valuable high tech to get it done.”

Western Digital is arguably the most recognized as well as the premier data storage brand on the planet. The brand is popular for innovative storage, SSD and high performing drives that a multitude of businesses and industry professionals all around the earth use on a regular basis.

They identified the big drawback of becoming exclusively an imposing electronic-native brand at e-commerce along with other e-tail endeavors, the brand currently had no actual presence that will B2B shoppers could hold, test and physically feel any goods within your. Business, technical purchasers want to hold along with assess hi-end, and specific kinds of equipment.

A New Interaction Model for the Challenge

Trying to turn the needle on digital-first undertakings, Western Digital produced the very first of their kind bodily facilities especially designated for the enterprise B2B consumer. As opposed to just getting standard retail storefront models, creating this a whole new style of B2B engagement was critical within our challenge as an originally on line brand. Their focus had been to produce an in-depth value, and technically focused experience that could carry-forward into extremely detailed B2B acquiring processes.

To adequately evaluate a product, digital had to merge organically with our physical space, as their new physical touch point had become the brand’s inaugural offline presence designed explicitly to meet the high level of specialized demands of their B2B clientele.

Such a model also had to automate the conversion from web content with massive volumes of data, with no demand for extensive staff coaching and personnel.

The Mission

Challenge

The dilemma was to connect their specification-driven purchasing to physical buyer experiences that address product-performance, build, thermal management, and integration considerations without incurring the cost and resources required to develop and maintain a substantial offline salesforce; particularly to transport data between digital products, with minimal headcount – globally adaptable too.

Solution

An RFID enabled, tech driven, physical space was conceptualized that had the ability to, at the moment of product interaction, push the necessary real-time performance, application, and technical data onto a digital screen; a tactile interaction experience, not requiring extensive human intervention, in the same sophisticated yet minimalist environment that facilitated easy comparison and purchase decision-making, with a logical B2B setup.

Outcome

Western Digital has launched a landmark, first in kind offline, B2B experiential retail space; the de facto industry standard in enabling on-line only businesses to bridge into brick-and-mortar. Customers experienced technically demanding products, where an investment in future proof retail design, led to increased confidence, velocity of purchase, and superior brand positioning, facilitated through forward-thinking retail experiences.

Create a New B2B Interaction Model

Western Digital made the Internet’s presence concrete for its business customers. A suitable, yet precise equivalent of the on-screen equivalent, it helped product proof of concept for the space.

Self-Guided, RFID-Powered Exploration

RFID & self-led browsing It created the world’s first ever RFID- enabled store experience whereby each product was available for physical, tactile demonstration. Without dependence on sales support teams, customers can view full details, verify compatibility and check use case before concluding the sale.

Blueprint for Scalable Retail

A template for retail growth Store simplicity, alongside tech, streamlined its offering, offering clients clarity & comparison. Future ready and transferable globally due to plug and play & Modular construction, the format could be applied anywhere.

The B2B clients noted that product display, jargon and environment must remain paramount. The result for what is a technically superior self-service retailing concept with business sales, free-flowing store configuration design and a guided display initiated by the store’s RFID capability.

Mastering the B2B Buying Cycle

A research report based on customer insights helped in identifying the most important aspects governing the buying behavior of any B2B buyer, this became the underlying cause of inspiration and guide for planning the store’s architectural design strategy. Driven by these findings the primary design question for us was ‘How do we transform every product into a self-creation process’.

Key B2B Needs:

Proof Before Purchase: The customers require proof of product performance – this may be the heat range or temperature, resilience and the speed.
Transparency: In communication, customers require honest and transparent communication sans any jargon.
Mirror The Digital Ecosystem: The physical store ought to represent a replica of the digital environment; a modern. Premium. Trustworthy brand in all respects.

Thus, the ultimate solution for minimizing the ‘friction factor’ through product demonstrations in order to be ‘self-built’, led to Tech-Integrated Retail Experience, centered around the innovative RFID-Enabled Display System where upon product selection, its RFID tag instantly activates a big AV screen presenting all its technical details, charts of usage and compatible device listings. The need to continuously explain the technical features by staff, was thus eliminated by this single change.

The layout was planned with effortless navigation such that customers could make the most effective, logical and efficient comparison between the various products available before moving to the consultation booths. It was an elegant and sophisticated minimalist design using dark matte shades and smartly placed ambient lighting fixtures.

Designed with scalable and future-proof retail DNA, such as embedded RFID technology, engineered displays, seamless AV integration. The store is designed to enable the functioning of a high-performance store. Its modular plug-and-play setup also enables the store format to be readily replicable throughout Western Digital’s International B2B destinations.

Creating a Future-Proof Retail Culture

The team was able to develop a state of the art, future ready store, which could be quickly and easily scaled, rolled out, and managed across different locations. The group incorporated clever fixtures that hid technological elements, such as digital displays and RFID chips, whilst also ensuring that the security of all products was not compromised and that all of the screens and sensors could operate non-stop.

Western Digital’s prime, high street location has meant that it has provided a space, which provides a perfect meeting point for dealers to connect with their customers and really connect, share and sell effectively through product presentations and relevant discussions.

Open in nature, the extendable nature of the store, via digital extensions, and RFID, user friendly fittings allowed this digital, first and B2B retail solution to be rolled out to B2B locations internationally.

Setting a New B2B Retail Standard

Launching the first physical, B2B experience store of a digital, first business the venture set out to fill a niche where B2B customers would be given a retail location to see and experience complex B2B products as physical entities as part of their buying journey as opposed to solely using online platforms to guide buying decisions.

By providing an RFID and audio-visual enabled, smart, self-service, guided, and personal, first and digital-enabled, B2B customer discovery journey. Western Digital revolutionized the way business owners made purchasing decisions on complex specification based items, a move that is setting a new B2B standard in retail experiences for the industry.

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