What started out as duty-free items, souvenirs, and basic travel necessities has now become a multi-million-dollar industry. Today, retail is a thriving and growing source of profit for cruise lines. From designer brands to retailtainment, the face of retail is constantly evolving to keep up with passengers’ ever-changing demands.
The growth of retail
Retail accounts for a third of consumer dollars spent on board cruise ships. Going far beyond the small shops first seen on cruise, passengers can now visit large shopping spaces and choose from a variety of their favourite land-based brands all in one place. Here they can find unique deals, one-of-a-kind experiences and exclusive items. This, paired with sales staff’s ability to foster relationships with guests throughout the cruise has led to retail’s considerable success.
To match cruise retail’s growth, many cruise ship refurbishment projects are seeing significant players upgrade their retail spaces by adding new shops and refurbishing and redesigning their retail spaces on board. These include Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean, P&O Cruises, and more.
Want to learn more about upcoming cruise refurbishments? Read The State of the Cruise Ship Refurbishment Market 2021
What goes into designing a cruise retail space?
Shopping has become a significant part of the cruise experience, reaching high footfall levels of 79%. Therefore, getting the right design is key. Onboard retail spaces must tackle the challenge of complementing the overall cruise environment while optimising limited space on board. Additionally, these spaces must be both memorable and exciting to compete with offshore port shopping.
Cruise ship retail designers are facing a new challenge of providing spaces that incorporate one-way systems, sanitisation stations, and social distancing. With limited space on board, this could prove to be a challenge, yet MSC Virtuosa’s open plan and interconnected shops make designing COVID safe spaces look effortless. Dubbed ‘the largest shopping area at sea’, MSC Virtuosa’s retail space spans an impressive 1,168 sqm and features 250 brands. Its central promenade, Galleria Virtuosa, lies at the heart of the ship. Here, guests can navigate through the vessel’s 11 retail outlets with ease, following temporary one-way systems under an impressive 93-metre LED screen.
It is also important for a retail space to flow with the rest of the cruise design. Costa Cruises’ latest vessel, Costa Firenze, has a Florence-inspired interior that beautifully complements its Italian destinations. This Italian style has also been applied to the vessel’s shops, which serve as a perfect backdrop to Costa Firenze’s authentic, Italian-style shopping experience. Costa Firenze hosts several Italian brands ranging from jewellery to handbags, with shop designs reflecting these brands’ Italian heritage. This immersive retail design allows passengers to enjoy Italy even on sea days.
Fostering experiences through retail design
Experiences and relationship building are now at the heart of retail, from providing multisensory experiences such as Celebrity Edge’s “sensory shopping journey” to retailtainment, like Costa Venezia’s Bulgari Jewellery Show. With such a strong focus on how passengers interact with the brands on board, how are retail spaces in cruises evolving to foster this engagement?
Carnival Cruises’ candy shop, Cherry on Top, provides a fun and multisensory space for its passengers. From the moment they enter, visitors are treated to vibrant displays of gumballs, cookies, lollipops and more. Cherry on Top also pairs this with the mouth-watering scent of candy to provide a treat for the senses. Loose pick ‘n’ mix displays and edible sand art stations provide a hands-on opportunity for passengers to not only touch but taste the sweet treats Cherry on Top has to offer. This tantalising design is one which passengers won’t forget.
The future of cruise retail design
As we continue through the digital age, encouraging engagement and interaction are being achieved through introducing technology to retail spaces. The first Lenovo store in Europe, designed by Grottini, offers a unique design which reflects Lenovo’s style while inviting visitors to immerse themselves in an interactive environment dedicated to the brand. The store is divided into stations including PCs, tablets, phones and AR/VR headsets, where visitors can trial Lenovo products. There are also areas dedicated to events and workshops, briefings, and meetings, as well as a café and coworking space.
Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Flora have introduced a similar hybrid retail space. Here, the iLounge, both an internet café and store, encourages passengers to experience the variety of Apple products on sale. Going forward, we expect to see these interactive, hybrid retail spaces featuring more in cruise retail design.
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