Retail Analysis

1. I visited the retail store Eddie Bauer for my analysis. It is not a store I would normally shop at, and I have not been inside of it since it has had a style makeover. It seems to market to adults who are interested in outdoor activities, like hiking, camping, and climbing, or simply those seeking comfort, warmth, and quality.

2. a. The appearance of the store from the outside is very clean and clear: there is a white neon sign displaying the company's insignia on a charcoal background. The windows and doors are simple, transparent glass. The clothing you can see from the outside is organized and neat, and you can see touches of the siding, ceiling, floors, and so on from the outside.
b. The sounds inside the store vary between soft popular/adult alternative rock (I don't know who any of the specific artists were) and nature sound effects. At one point, a TV displaying a pretend feed of mountain climbers cut in sound effects and something like a radio broadcast over the loudspeaker.
c. The merchandise is laid about neatly on tables and hung on floor racks, and racks and hooks on the walls. All the displays are thematically similar, made of warm woods, metal, and with neutral colors.
d. The floor is wooden along the specific sections of clothing (women's on the right, men's on the left) with a section of flagstone paved along the middle of the store.
e. The signs on the walls both advertise the clothes and the situations in which they could ideally be used. Right now, heading into the winter season, they display pictures of mountains and mountain climbers in extreme conditions (wearing Eddie Bauer clothing, of course), and also proclaim the details of certain sales, specials, and new products. (there is also a television that kind of acts as a moving sign with constantly changing details.)
f. The cashier area contains the largest banner showing outdoor sports and clothing. The countertop is sleek and smooth, structured maybe like an outdoor checkpoint or something with its metal structure. It is surrounded by accessories (mostly men's), extra merchandise, and gift cards.

3. I feel this company tries to project an image of comfort and sport that one would hope to find in nature. The store has a very natural feel, mostly being decorated with wood, stone, and images of mountains, sky, and clouds. The layout and floorplan are very organized and neat, perhaps unnatural but in a way which offer an organic flow from display to display, and most clothing and accessories are made in neutral or earthy tones, something that also reflects the ideas of nature and natural sport.

4. The store is rather calming and so the customers were all very calm as well. They moved slowly among the displays and stopped to seriously consider a lot of products instead of just breezing past everything. Also interestingly, most (if not all) of the store's customers are not at all the type it seems to market to -- think middle-aged bargain-hunting women with glasses and bowl cuts as compared to young, adventurous, mountain-climbing types. I don't recall seeing a single male customer, only young boys tagging along with their mothers. The men's side of the store was completely unoccupied except perhaps for women shopping for their husbands, boyfriends, and/or fathers.

5. I was somewhat taken aback by the design of this store, never really having been inside and not really knowing exactly what or to whom they were marketing. I was guessing the store would be much more casual, perhaps less outdoorsy, and definitely found the discrepancy between target consumers and actual consumers hilarious if nothing else. I also thought it was interesting how well they pulled off earthy, natural side of the marketing - while I'm not attracted to extreme sports and their products are not my usual taste, the side of me that does appreciate nature and earthiness actually kind of wanted to buy a scarf or a hat or something (another plus that has pretty much nothing to do with the store's design is that almost all their products are made with natural materials - cotton, cashmere, fleece, wool, feathers. Who knew!). In all, I'd say that alone means the design of the store was successful.