Retail Marketing Redefined: Shopping

Let’s check that list one more time. I need eggs, bread, some milk. Oh, and a tattoo.

Said no one ever. Not yet.

But they might. And when they do, 365, a new store concept by Whole Foods Market, will be ready for them.

As the Austin, Texas-based grocery chain launches its new, smaller-format 365 by Whole Foods Market stores, the company is considering some fresh ideas about what customers will enjoy. On a website dedicated to the 365 stores, Whole Foods spoke directly to its potential “friends,” or businesses that would partner with the chain and set up shop inside its stores.

“Friends of 365 are independent businesses who bring their special mojo to our 365 stores,” the website states. “Friends can be any type of business — Record shop? Tattoo parlor? Maybe! And each 365 store may have a different mix of friends. The more variety, the merrier!”

The first “casting call” for entries recently took place; audition videos were submitted and the public voted for their favorites. (The inaugural partner in the Friends of 365 in-store program is by CHLOE, a plant-based, fast-casual dining brand.) The company plans to host another formal submission period later this year.

While I’m not sure if shoppers will want to get a tat one aisle over from the seafood counter, the Whole Foods folks are on to something. By teaming up with small, specialized businesses, they are positioning their 365 stores as lifestyle destinations. They clearly know their shopper: the adventurous, eco-minded adventurer who demands and appreciates authentic, community-minded interactions.

Like most shoppers today, the 365 customers are experience seekers.

Actually, they’re more than that. And that’s why the 365 by Whole Foods Market concept feels future-oriented. They understand that branding moments matter, and that it is a mistake to assume that those visitors to the store are merely shopping.

The language of retail marketing is evolving (see here, here and here). Inspired by 365, here are 58 experience-related things (in addition to shopping) that guests are doing in-store right now:

1. Browsing
2. Spending
3. Discovering
4. Relaxing
5. Hunting
6. Socializing
7. Gathering
8. Patronizing
9. Critiquing
10. Rating
11. Reporting
12. Reviewing
13. Exploring
14. Learning
15. Unwinding
16. Analyzing
17. Curing
18. Treating
19. Healing
20. Attitude Adjusting
21. Vacationing
22. Blowing Off Steam
23. Reinventing
24. Pioneering
25. Revealing
26. Studying
27. Imbibing
28. Meeting
29. Savoring
30. Judging
31. Appreciating
32. Reveling In
33. Hanging
34. Partaking
35. Communicating
36. Sampling
37. Perceiving
38. Individualizing
39. Analyzing
40. Scrutinizing
41. Hunting
42. Inspecting
43. Mingling
44. Investigating
45. Voicing
46. Defining
47. Fantasizing
48. Role Playing
49. Imagining
50. Procuring
51. Acquiring
52. Recovering
53. Playing
54. Problem Solving
55. Hiding
56. Replenishing
57. Reinventing
58. Curating