THE RETAIL REVOLUTION
The design concept of Bou-tek, the new space designed by Paolo Frello for Mauden Spa, lies all in the title “Retail rEvolution”. The Web and online buying have completely changed the consumer behaviour. New emerging retail trends have developed such as “Showrooming “, the practice of examining merchandise in a traditional brick and mortar retail store and then buying it online, sometimes at a lower price; ROPO (Research on line, purchase offline), the practice of searching and comparing the product online and then of purchasing it in the traditional store. It is right in the middle of these clear and yet confusing retail trends that Bou-tek positions it- self with a newly designed physical show-room located in the heart of Milan whilst showcasing the most advanced digital technology, to address those companies in need of advertising their products to consumers but with only online marketing strategies at their disposal. Bou-tek ‘s showroom is therefore rented out temporarily together with its leading digital technologies and in addition an advisory service is provided for the consumer to engage in a fully immersive ex- perience with the product. The architectural volume is split on two levels, displaying more than 400 square meters of surface in total. The central part of the showroom has a large opening in the floor to fit a high-definition LED wall which rises 9 meters of height, the largest ever used in Italy in a commercial space, to connect the two floors. The floor opening is covered with a clear walk on glass floor. Attached to the LED wall, mirror ceilings and floors have been fitted to create the illusion of an internal space expanding indefinitely. A social area, a meeting room and a large wooden wall panelled with se- veral 4K technology touch screens for interactive experiences have also been created. Bou-tek will not only make of its show-room a commercial experience in which companies will take turns to display and advertise their products to consumers. It will also be a vibrant cultural space where exhibitions of art, photography and design will be arranged for its audience.
