Virgin Media O2 (VMO2) opened a new experiential store at Liverpool One shopping centre at the start of May.
The new site, which replaces the company’s previous store at the retail destination, has been designed to “bring together the best in mobile, broadband and connected technology,” according to the business.
Complete with four distinct discovery zones, a national databank hub, and more, there is plenty for shoppers to take in at the new location.
50 per cent more shoppers visiting the store.
The new store, which spans more than 1,900 sq ft, demonstrates VMO2’s “commitment to investing in its stores and UK high streets,” according to the telecommunications company.
VMO2 director of retail Will Houldsworth explains that although its previous Liverpool One site had been “working really hard,” it was “overtrading for the size it was,” and that it had been “looking for an opportunity for a while”.
“I think the new site is about 40 per cent larger, so it gives us the chance to pull everything together,” he says.
The store is certainly performing well, with Houldsworth noting that it was seeing roughly 50 per cent more customers visiting the store compared to its previous site.
Houldsworth echoes this sentiment, noting: “We know that for some of our bigger stores customers don’t just want a place to come in and transact.
“They want a chance to talk things through and test that technology too.”
He explains that the difference with its new store is that it now has “the space and the range” to demo its products and services.
“We’ve now got the ability to not just talk about our TV packages but actually demo them and show them,” he says.
“It’s the same with gaming, customers can actually put their hands on [the devices] and test them out.
“And customers can ask us to set their devices up, set them up to be more child friendly, we’ve got the space and ability to do all of it.”
Four different discovery zones
Perhaps the most notable element of the VMO2 store is the fact that it is divided into four different discovery zones for shoppers.
These include its ultimate gaming zone, Priority from O2, its TV and broadband zone and its Meta zone.
Explaining more about each of these zones, the exec says: “With the gaming zone, it’s a chance to not only sell games but to have shoppers sit down and play on the PlayStation.
“With Meta, we’ve got the chance for shoppers to not only see the products on display, but to take them, sample them, and use the AR within the store.
“With TV and broadband, we can walk customers through what’s different about Virgin Media television compared to some of the others they might have seen.
“And with O2 Priority, shoppers can explore more about the added value they get from buying here versus anywhere else.”
As well as being a store, the Liverpool One site also serves as one of its national databank hubs for people experiencing data poverty.
Explaining the value of these, Houldsworth says: “We’re really proud of this, and if you speak to a lot of the store teams they’ll probably describe it as one of the things they’re most proud about working for Virgin Media O2.
“A number of people in this country live in poverty, and a lot of it is talked about from a food poverty point of view, but the thing that’s not spoken about as much is data poverty.
“If you’ve not got the money to buy things like data, you can be cut off from family, you can be cut off from every kind of help necessary.
“So for eligible people who need us, we hand out free O2 sim cards with 25 gigabytes of calls, data and minutes at this hub.
“We’re giving out thousands of these every single week to the people that need it most, and it makes a massive difference to people’s lives.”
New formats being trialled
VMO2 currently has 305 stores across the UK, and has plans to expand further, according to Houldsworth.
He also reveals that the brand has “a couple of new formats in trial”.
“Like a lot of retailers, we can’t open one size fits all,” he says.
“If I was to open a store now on the West Coast of Wales it would probably have a very different customer need and mix of customer base than if I opened one in Central London. So we’re working on a couple of new formats.”
Providing more detail on one its new formats that is already open, the exec says: “In Wilmslow we’ve opened a store that’s our smallest store format, it’s about 50 per cent smaller than our existing ones.”
He explains that the thinking behind this smaller format is how it can “grow in a sustainable way” where it’s got “stores that will probably have slightly lower footfall”.
Additionally, he highlights that a hefty chunk of cash will be injected into VMO2’s retail estate over the next year.
“We’re going to inject tens of millions of pounds into the retail estate in the next year to keep meeting those customer needs and to give must customers exposure to the brand.”
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