In March MSc Retail Management and Marketing students had a chance to explore the London Borough Market, enjoying the unique opportunity to sample European food  (e.g. cheese and homemade bread) and to wander through Western market stalls. The students observed how market traders consistently use various experiential tactics to indulge visitors’ senses such as colourful product displays, delicious scent from the displayed products or cooking, friendly staff inviting visitors to sample products, welcoming store ambience, quirky and clear signage and, more importantly, the market traders apply hardly any pressure on the visitors to buy from them. These tactics exemplify the principles of great customer experiences proposed by Watkinson (2013) i.e. indulging consumer senses, being socially engaging, offering a stress-free environment, and empowering the customer with a sense of control.

After the market trip, students visited Dalziel and Pow (a London-based agency with over 30-years’ experience in retail branding and design, and met with Mr David Wright, the Group Marketing Director. Mr Wright gave a talk on the company’s history and the strategic roles that retail design play in branding a retail business and delivering added-value customer experiences. During his talk, Mr Wright shared some stories from their projects commissioned by leading retailers such as Argos, Primark, The White Company, and Monsoon. The trip to Dalziel and Pow concluded with a tour around the company and its design studio. This field trip was a great opportunity for the September and January cohorts to bond with each other and the tutors, Dr Jason Sit and Dr Gregory Kapuscinski.