Environmental Storytelling in Retail

Death by Carbon Count. Murdered by Metrics. Spent Saturday morning in the supermarket. Not shopping for groceries. Hunting for proof. Proof that sustainability doesn't have to hide in a 200-page report or get lost in a spreadsheet jungle. I was benchmarking. Looking for brands getting it right, right there on-shelf. Recycled content worn like a badge. Carbon savings turned into conversation starters. Supply chains told as stories worth reading. Earlier that week, I'd sat through a sustainability presentation what might've been the driest sustainability presentation known to man. My mind drifted... Slide after slide of numbers that all blurred together. (anyone that knows me, knows I'm not a numbers person!). Then one simple infographic popped up. A town rebuilding after a storm. Suddenly I wasn't reading data. I was there. That's the power of visual storytelling. And that's exactly what belongs on-pack. Because if sustainability only lives in a strategy deck, it won't reach the people it needs to. It has to show up where it counts. On screen. On shelf. In hand. Consumers don't connect with decimals. But they remember the juice bottle that paired its footprint with its flavour. The chocolate box that gave a factory a face. That's sustainability with a pulse. Told at eye level. Every brand has the data. Recycled content. Sourcing claims. Emission charts. Few turn those numbers into something you can see, feel, or understand at a glance. That's your opportunity. Start with communicating the aim. What's the story? Plastic-free future? Circular design? Local impact? Add then these to the pack in a simple, engaging way. Spell things out. Then show the Actors. The growers. The drivers. The factory floor. Put people on the pack, not just percentages. Frame the Aspiration. Kitchens where scraps become tomorrow's meal. Beaches without litter. Gardens with bees. Paint the picture. Vividly. Visuals stick. Corny but true. Get it right, and your packaging doesn't just exist. It engages, educates and builds trust. What's your packaging saying right now? Message clear, or lost in the bin? _______________________________ Kicking off hashtag#30WildPackagingWins. I'll be posting an example of sustainable packaging every day this month in the run-up to the Sustainable Packaging Summit 📅 When: 10th–12th November 2025 📍 Where: Utrecht, Netherlands If you're into new ideas, new materials, new formats, and the occasional curveball, follow along. Thinking of joining the summit? Use LISAC20 for 20% off tickets. Details in the comments. Hope to see you there! #SPS2025 #SustainablePackagingSummit

GENTLE MONSTER’s HAUS DOSAN is Breaking Retail’s Stagnation—Here’s What Brands Need to Learn from It Retail is in decline. Footfall is down, digital convenience has taken over, and most luxury spaces feel like carbon copies of themselves—sterile, uninspired, and completely out of touch with how young, culture-driven audiences engage with brands today. Then there’s Gentle Monster. The South Korean eyewear disruptor is proving that retail isn’t dead—it’s just been boring for too long. Enter HAUS DOSAN, a multi-brand immersive concept that fuses fashion, art, robotics, cosmetics, and food into a retail experience that doesn’t just sell—it mesmerizes. Instead of static displays, Gentle Monster gives us cinematic, sensory-driven environments where AI-powered robots, kinetic sculptures, and avant-garde installations replace the traditional sales floor. Shopping isn’t the end goal; it’s a byproduct of curiosity, storytelling, and exploration. This is what happens when you build a brand with imagination and audacity. For brands stuck in the past, here are five ways to inject Gentle Monster’s approach into your marketing and retail strategy: 1. Make Shopping an Experience, Not a Transaction Luxury audiences don’t just want exclusivity—they want emotion, spectacle, and cultural currency. The brands that win are the ones that create spaces worth visiting even if you’re not there to buy. 2. Blur the Lines Between Retail, Art, and Entertainment Young, culture-driven consumers don’t distinguish between product and performance. Retail should feel more like an art gallery, a museum, a concept film—anything but a store. 3. Design for Discovery, Not Just Commerce HAUS DOSAN is built for wandering, not just shopping. The journey is the value. How can you make your brand feel like an unfolding story rather than a showroom? 4. Tap into the Power of Cultural Icons and Subcultures Gentle Monster’s collaborations (from Moncler to Blackpink’s Jennie) don’t feel forced. They blend seamlessly with the brand’s world because they speak to communities rather than just consumers. The best partnerships feel like they were always meant to exist. 5. Dare to Be Weird The safest brands are the most forgettable. Gentle Monster thrives because it doesn’t play by the traditional luxury rulebook. If your marketing or retail space feels “safe,” it’s probably already obsolete. HAUS DOSAN is a glimpse into the future of retail—one where art, technology, and commerce collapse into a singular, multi-sensory experience. It’s not just a shop; it’s a cultural phenomenon. The question is: How is your brand keeping up? #RetailInnovation #LuxuryMarketing #BrandExperience #CreativeDirection #GentleMonster

🚇 Louis Vuitton's Metro-Inspired Pop-Up in Hangzhou Reveals How Luxury Brands Are Using Cultural Storytelling to Counter China's Market Slowdown Louis Vuitton just launched an LV Express pop-up in Hangzhou that transforms shopping into a Parisian metro experience—complete with authentic subway tiles, vintage signage, and luxury products displayed throughout train-like carriages. As someone who researches experiential retail strategies across Asia-Pacific markets, this activation demonstrates how luxury brands are pivoting to immersive cultural narratives when facing market headwinds. As a researcher documenting retail transformation across international markets, I'm seeing three critical shifts in Louis Vuitton's China strategy: • Cultural heritage as competitive differentiation: LV doubled down on Parisian identity through authentic metro replication—proving luxury brands succeed by intensifying cultural authenticity during uncertain times, not diluting it • Experiential immersion over transactions: The metro concept transforms shopping into cultural discovery, where consumers engage with brand narrative before product selection—showing luxury retail now requires emotional investment rather than convenient access • Social amplification as market strategy: Instagram-worthy environments create shareable content extending brand reach beyond physical visitors—demonstrating how luxury pop-ups must function as content generators, especially in social media-driven markets like China What strikes me most is how this fits LV's broader experiential retail strategy across China, from their ambitious Shanghai flagship to destination store concepts. This coordinated approach treats each location as cultural amplification rather than simple market penetration. This signals that luxury brands recognize cultural storytelling as their primary defense against market slowdowns—authentic heritage experiences drive loyalty when economic uncertainty makes consumers more selective. What experiential retail strategies are you observing that successfully blend cultural authenticity with market-specific challenges? 👇 #PopUpRetail #LuxuryRetail #ExperientialRetail #RetailStrategy #ChinaRetail #RetailResearch #topretailexpert #storetour #retailtour #retailinsight

Have you ever walked into a theme park and felt instantly transported to another world? That's the magic of spatial storytelling, and it's a powerful tool that goes beyond just entertainment. As someone who works alongside the best of the best in themed experiences, I'm excited to share how you can harness this power in your own work, using some of the world's most famous theme parks as our guide. Spatial storytelling is the art of using physical space to convey a narrative. It's about creating an immersive environment that engages all the senses and makes the audience feel like they're part of the story. Theme parks like Disneyland Resort and Universal Orlando Resort have mastered this art, but its principles can be applied to various fields, from retail to education. Studies have shown that immersive environments can significantly enhance engagement and memory retention. For instance, a 2019 study found that students in immersive learning environments scored 30% higher on retention tests compared to traditional classroom settings (Johnson et al., 2019). In theme parks, this translates to higher guest satisfaction and increased spending. Disney parks, for example, saw a 70% increase in per-capita spending after introducing more immersive lands like Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (Thompson, 2022). 5 Steps to Apply Spatial Storytelling in Your Work • Define Your Narrative: What story do you want to tell? Disneyland's Main Street, U.S.A. tells the story of early 20th century America, setting the stage for the rest of the park. • Engage Multiple Senses: Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter doesn't just look magical; it smells like butterbeer and sounds like spells being cast. Consider how you can incorporate smell, sound, and touch into your space. • Pay Attention to Details: The smallest details can make the biggest impact. Disney's Imagineers are famous for their attention to detail, from themed trash cans to hidden Mickeys. • Create a Coherent World: Ensure all elements of your space work together to support your narrative. In The Wizarding World, even the ATMs are themed as "Gringotts Money Exchanges." • Encourage Interaction: Allow your audience to be part of the story. Universal's interactive wands let visitors cast "spells" throughout the park, deepening their engagement. By applying these principles, you can create spaces that don't just inform or entertain, but truly transport and inspire. Whether you're designing a retail space, a classroom, or an office, the power of place can transform your audience's experience. Remember, it's not about recreating Disneyland. It's about understanding the principles that make these spaces so effective and applying them in your own unique way. So, are you ready to tell your story through space? How could you use spatial storytelling to transform your workspace or project? Let’s connect, dream and create together! justyn@storylandstudios.com PlainJoe Storyland Studios

Here’s a sustainability story you haven’t heard before. 👉 OVO Vodka. ------- About this post: sustainability leaders need to be catalysts – helping others grow their positive impact. One way this happens is when sustainability helps companies break through in the market. -------   🌍 This is a story about vodka. Of course, sustainability progress needs clean energy breakthroughs and major leaps forward in circularity – but it also needs values to be incorporated into all kinds of products. That's what OVO Vodka is doing. After all, people are going to have drinks; wouldn't it be great if they made positive contributions to the world? 1️⃣  There are plenty of vodka brands on the market – over 500 vodka distilleries in the US alone. That’s a tough category to break into. 👉  But OVO Vodka has managed to do that, including landing some choice customers and renowned bars. How? CEO Anthony Packwood says it’s partly about the company’s environmental story – a focus on lowering plastic in the ocean, along with more sustainable production and packaging and hosting an ocean cleanup event every month. Or, as the company puts it, “Cheers to vodka without compromise and oceans without plastics.” 2️⃣  I talked to Anthony at NYC Climate Week 2024 (edited due to space restrictions). Asked how the company started, he said: “My business partner Jon and I were finishing our final thesis in grad school when we started to explore the deeper connections customers seek with brands. We realized that people want more than just a price point or flavor—they want products and services they can truly resonate with.” This is an example of using values as an engine of differentiation, something I discuss in my book, The Value of Values. 3️⃣  OVO’s story also benefits their customer, the retailer. As Andrew told me: “For retailers, this provides a narrative—a story they can share with customers when introducing a new brand. It's not just about the price point or flavor profile, but a different approach to the industry, one that allows us to carve out some attention and mental real estate in the consumer’s mind.” 🚀 And that approach seems to be working – OVO is growing and has scored placement in some renowned establishments. Of course, it isn’t all about the environmental narrative (nor could it be). OVO has also won awards for taste and tries to go above and beyond for retailers. 👉 But in a crowded market, taste and attention to customers are relatively common attributes. A focus on plastic-free oceans is not. ☑️ What you can do:   » Ask yourself if you can use your values to stand out. They don’t replace the fundamental attributes you need (e.g., taste), but values can augment those attributes. » Look for local, high-touch ways to show your commitments – e.g., ocean cleanups – as well as bigger partnerships (such as Bye Bye Plastic) #sustainability #ROI #ESG @ovovodka Anthony Packwood

Some call it store furniture. I call it the most overlooked storyteller in retail. In shops, furniture often plays the role of a background dancer. But what if it could be the starring act in your brand story? 🤔 Earlier this week, I paid another inspiring visit to my retail playground - Selfridges London. As someone who's slightly (okay, majorly) obsessed with their Corner Shop pop-up concept, I had to check out UGG's winter wonderland takeover. Here's what I loved 👇 The genius wasn't in what they displayed, but HOW they displayed it. Every piece of furniture wasn't just functional – it was a tactical primer for the brand promise. Plush, inviting sofas weren't just seating areas; they were physical manifestations of UGG's comfort-first DNA. Look at the snaps I took and picture what it must feel like... ☁ When you sink into that cloud-like sofa ☁ When you run your fingers across the fuzzy display elements ☁ When you spot Christmas trees adorned with familiar sheepskin textures Each touchpoint is whispering (or maybe shouting?) "This is how our shoes will make you feel." It's a clever example of intentional design, where every element becomes a member of your sales team: ✅ Background becomes foreground ✅ Furniture becomes storyteller ✅ Space becomes a sensorial experience The lesson? Your store environment isn't just a container for your products – it's a 3D billboard for your brand promise. Have you come across other cozy stores that get their seating right? 🛋️