As one of Singapore’s major telcos, Singtel is on a mission to serve more customers in more convenient locations through an innovative new store concept called Unboxed. Conceived and executed by London-based marketing and design consultancy Landor & Fitch, the Unboxed store is tiny – only slightly bigger than a standard shipping container – and completely automated. There are no staff on site; instead, customers use touchscreens to purchase products and collect their orders
orders from a POPstation locker. They can also access expert help via video kiosks or roaming bots. Facial recognition is used to personalise service to each individual customer.
Customers can immediately collect their purchase from on-site lockers. Image: Supplied
Despite the small footprint, the interior feels “spacious and inviting”, according to Landor & Fitch.
“State-of-the-art retail technology enables the concept to come to life, from the very latest in security sensors to intuitive, interactive touchpoints that enable customers to explore and compare everything they need to know about the latest devices,” Jonathan Cummings, Landor & Fitch’s president of Greater China, told Inside Retail.
Singtel offers mobile, broadband and television plans, as well as a range of consumer electronics, from smartphones to speakers to wearable tech, which it sells through eight bricks-and-mortar stores as well as an e-commerce site, and now the Unboxed store.
The structure was designed to be portable (it fits on the flatbed of a truck, so it can be moved to different locations) and customisable (it extends from 40sqm to 52sqm, so it can be squeezed into tight spots in city centres).
Recently, Unboxed took home the top prize for Outstanding Store Design in the under-1200sqm category at the World Retail Awards.
Reflecting on the win, Cummings said that “it’s not one or a few features that make Unboxed extraordinary and world-class, it is more about the comprehensive retail concept that seamlessly brings together state-of-the-art physical, human and digital elements to create a ground-breaking retail experience.”
The concept was designed to meet Singtel’s three core objectives: to deliver enhanced services to customers at locations convenient to them, to demonstrate technology leadership and to help people better navigate their increasingly connected personal world with Singtel.
“The whole brand experience…is the living embodiment of Singtel’s brand promise to ‘Make everyday better’,” Cummings said.
Since launching in June 2019, Unboxed has traveled to five different locations across Singapore and exceeded all of its target KPIs, according to Landor & Fitch.
“Customer experience is constantly monitored, and to date the Unboxed concept has received a positive customer experience score of 96 per cent,” he said.
Besides the World Retail Awards, the concept has also been recognised at the Best Retail Experience Awards 2019 and the Global Telecoms Awards 2019.
Now, Singtel is working with Fitch to develop new formats of Unboxed to fit even better in the community. They are expected to launch in the coming months.