Retail Analysis

1.What store did you observe? Who do they market to?

The store that I observed was Hot Topic and they market to teenagers that enjoy rock/punk music, pop culture merchandise, and tend to be "emotional hardcore" or also know as emo.

2.Briefly describe the following:

• Appearance of store entrance (from outside)- Black and red, fence surrounds the entrance, "Hot Topic" sign is displayed on a sheet of rusty metal.
  
• Sounds (inside the store)- Screamo music is predominantly played in Hot Topic. The music that is played throughout the store can also be found in the store for sale.
  
• How the merchandise is displayed- The t-shirts are organized by being displayed on the walls in display frames to show customers the different merchandise that is carried. The customers can find the t-shirts that they are looking for under the adequate t-shirt display frame. Merchandise is laid out by theme such as Jack Skeleton, Twilight, Harry Potter, Transformers and Sanrio, making it easy for the customers to choose what they want quickly.
  
• Floors- The floors are made of cement supporting the hard rock/punk image.
  
• Signs- There weren't a lot of signs, but the only signs that were displayed throughout the store were big black signs promoting clearance items.
  
• Cashier area- The cashier area is a small section that is pushed to the far right side of the store. This section is very enclosed and small pins are placed on the counter in clear containers to attract shoppers with their bright colors and unique designs, perfect way to engage the customer into some impulse buying.
  

3.What image does this business try to project? Give specific examples of design element that reflect this image.

The image that the business is trying to portray is the rock/punk image by the music that is played throughout the store, the merchandise that is offered such as rock band t-shirts and other miscellaneous products such as chains, nail polish, and hair accessories.

4.How did customers interact with various elements of the store's design?

Customers interacted with the environment pretty well by easily identifying their destination due to how clearly the merchandise was arranged.

5.What did you find interesting about the design of the store?

Something that I found interesting about the store is how its very clean and organized even though one wouldn't really relate "cleanliness and organization" with the hard rock/punk image.