Ray-Ban Flagship Soho – USA, New York

Key facts

– Sector: Customization/ Technology in Fashion Accessories
– Format: Bricks and mortar
– Year Opened: 2015
– Store Location: SoHo, New York City
– Number of Stores: 1
– Number of Countries: 1, USA
– Product mix: Sunglasses/prescription glasses
– Positioning: Innovative customization center and cultural hub, the first brick-and-mortar store for the Ray-Ban brand in the U.S. to elevate the brand image
– Trend: Interaction

What is it?

Ray-Ban opened its first flagship store in SoHo, housing numerous prescription and nonprescription sunglasses for customers to choose among and customize. The store offers a multifaceted experience as a store-music hall-artist exhibition space-community cultural haven hybrid, featuring everything from live performances to film screenings. The store’s breadth of offerings showcase the brand’s long history.

Why is it innovative?

Ray-Ban has expanded its standard wholesale business by opening the store and creating a place for customers to touch, feel and try on the products in an innova-tive setting. From magic mirrors to an optician on site, the RayBan store caters to every customer need. The ‘Remix’ customization center in the store is set up with iPads, where customers can design a pair of glasses unique to their taste. Customi-zation options for glasses include a color combination for the frames, temples and lenses. Engraving is also available.

Technologic playful experience and: The store uses innovative technology to help customers find the perfect pair of sunglasses. The 3-D ‘Magic Mirror’ offers guests the ultimate augmented reality experience, where they can virtually try on the latest Ray-Ban styles.

Product customization service: Customized glasses arrive by delivery within a week. The ‘Remix’ customization station is located on the first floor, where cus-tomers can design their own pair of Ray-Ban glasses by iPad. The customization experience was taken directly from the brand’s online offering. Customers can per-sonalize by choosing among Ray-Ban Aviator, Ray-Ban Original Wayfarer, Ray-Ban New Wayfarer and Ray-Ban Justin models. On the iPad, customers can discover all of the available options and, with a few clicks, create the perfect pair of sunglasses by matching their favorite frame colors with temples and lenses. It’s also possible to have something etched onto the end of the temple or case, such as a name or symbol. The result is a unique accessory that fits the personality of the customer.

Additional on-site service: Eye prescription. The store offers an on-site opti-cian. Customers can schedule appointments with the doctor online for the Soho store, with availability in the morning, afternoon and evening, making it a one-stop shop for eyewear customers.

Ebeltoft Group experts’ conclusion:

The new Ray-Ban store offers an excellent example of a brand successfully entering into brick and mortar by introducing virtual elements to the standard sunglass shopping experience. Ray-Ban is capitalizing on the opportunity for customization in the eyewear industry, expanding beyond being a glasses store to also being a place to get a prescription, and invigorating the store as a multi-use space.

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