Young Chinese consumers are looking for new experiences while shopping, and homegrown retailers are responding with a slew of new and creative ways to engage them.
At Artemis, a lifestyle store opened by the well-traveled Austin Huang, shoppers get to enjoy a mix of food, beverages and pop-up events in addition to a carefully curated mix of high-end lifestyle products.
“Maybe I opened Artemis during an economic slowdown, but I don’t think retail is dead.” -Huang
Coming from a background of shopping mall market analysis, promotion, and marketing, he added, “It just needs to be refreshed.”
Working with the founder of Beijing-based restaurant Transit, Catalin T. Ichim, Artemis serves up a Beijing-Nordic menu of smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches), coffee roasted by Hong Kong’s 18 Grams and Spanish-style gin and tonic next to lifestyle magazines like Monocle and Fantastic Man.
Lifestyle as a concept is still fairly new to Chinese consumers, according to Huang. But with many consumers growing more interested in smaller brands as opposed to big names, stores like Artemis with unique retail and lifestyle concepts are becoming more popular.
(Source: Jing Daily)