Retail: how a store gets customers to travel for it

Brick and mortar retail has been under pressure for years. E-commerce gained ground on the very factors where the high street struggles to compete: convenience and reach. Consequently, shops in many city centres that relied on passing trade have quietly disappeared. However, a category of stores seems to be bucking this trend. These businesses do not compete on convenience but on something else entirely, offering a reason to visit that goes beyond mere necessity.

Within the retail sector, this type of shop is increasingly known as a 'destination store': a destination in its own right, rather than a stopover. While many retailers aim to reduce the distance to the customer, this strategy does the opposite. It accepts the distance and compensates for it with an experience and product offering that make the journey worthwhile. An example of this principle in practice can be found on Herenstraat in Amsterdam.

In practice: how Tessa Koops gets customers to travel to Herenstraat

Designer Tessa Koops observes this exact pattern in her eponymous boutique. Customers deliberately travel to her shop precisely because it is not a convenience store. "This is no coincidence, but a deliberate strategy," says Koops. According to her, the effort a customer makes is not a disadvantage but the very source of value. It translates into loyalty and a higher average spend compared to a customer who just happens to walk in.

At Tessa Koops, originality is primarily expressed through print. "Our collections are inspired by travel and Mediterranean influences, with femininity, character and craftsmanship at their core, and a signature that is instantly recognisable," says Koops. She notes that several retail clients find their stores stand out thanks to the prints. This is precisely because the rest of the market currently features predominantly chocolate brown and beige tones. A tangible example is the brand's velvet printed bomber jacket, one of its bestsellers. "It is, as customers themselves call it, a real 'compliment jacket': a piece that people notice and that starts conversations on the street," Koops adds.

Events form the second pillar, which is now literally visible on the street at Tessa Koops. For the third time in a row, she transformed Herenstraat into the backdrop for her own 'Streetcatwalk', a format that has become a recurring statement for the brand. What began as a celebration of the brand's 12.5-year anniversary last spring was followed by another event at the end of April during the King's Day weekend. The third edition took place last weekend, themed "The September Issue" and marking the start of the new autumn season.

The concept is simple. The showroom at Herenstraat 29 serves as the backstage area. The street itself becomes the catwalk leading to the boutique at Herenstraat 15C. For the occasion, the shop window is populated by live models instead of mannequins. Customers shop inside while the show unfolds outside, with the whole street watching. "These are not marketing stunts detached from the store, but an extension of it," says Koops. For her, it has become a ritual. It is a way to showcase the brand not on an enclosed catwalk, but in the heart of the city, right in the middle of her customers' lives.

"Competing with the convenience culture of online retail on convenience itself is a losing battle," says Koops. "Competing on originality, narrative and experience is not. That is precisely where a brick and mortar store can offer something a screen cannot. The question every retailer should ask themselves is therefore not: how do I make my store more accessible? Instead, it should be: am I giving my customers a reason to make a special trip for it?"