Bringing digital fluidity to physical retail

Eobuwie.pl is striding forward with a new, sector-defining store concept we created, positioning the Polish brand as the ‘next big thing’ in footwear retail.

The concept is a direct response to the changing face of retail, and unlike many other brands, Eobuwie has adopted a customer-centric approach – behaving truly innovatively and expansively. Building on its dominance in e-commerce, Eobuwie’s new proposition seamlessly blends the digital and physical on the high street for an exciting, easy-to-shop alternative to traditional footwear stores. With this digitally enabled store environment, Eobuwie aims to expand its appeal beyond the established online audience.

Eobuwie is owned by CCC S.A the largest footwear retail company in Central Europe and the largest footwear manufacturer in Europe. We recently created CCC’s new own-brand concept stores, which help customers browse an abundance of styles in an easy-to-shop self-service mode. Customers have almost the entirety of the brand’s stock at their fingertips.

Eobuwie’s physical debut has a completely different purchase journey, the store has no physical product on the shop floor and is supported by a vast stockroom for a free-flowing experience mirroring its online service.

A pair of digital screens flank the open entrance to attract passing shoppers and the arrival zone is designed for quick transactions and purchases, with high stools and interactive touchscreen tablets on which customers can search and order. For customers seeking a slower journey, the heart of the store is designed for browsing and trying on shoes. This space has a warmer, more intimate feel with an industrial-style framework and fluted glass to bring privacy, and a lowered ceiling.

Continuous eye-level screens create an immersive thread around the entire store and play rolling content that showcases Eobuwie’s wide selection of footwear – some 450 brands and 40,000 styles. The content is also played on two large screens beside the cash desks. These digital displays replace traditional VM, delivering a sleek, minimal store environment that emphasises the unique, seamless customer journey.

From the back of the store, there’s a view into the stockroom which houses 110,000 shoe boxes, showcasing the vast range of brands and products available to the customer. Boxes slide from the stockroom down through the racking behind the cash desks, creating an element of retail theatre.

Creative Director David Dalziel said: “This ambitious and challenging concept blends the convenience of online shopping with the fast fulfilment of bricks-and-mortar, setting a new standard for high street footwear retailing. It feels like a success already with queues to use the 45 digital terminals at busy times. Further plans are already underway to roll this out in the near future.”