Later this month you can swing by Saks Fifth Avenue to get tattooed in their window display. Yay or Nay?
It will come as no surprise that traditional retail has been loosing traction over the last few years with the increasing popularity of online shopping. Sales are volatile across the board; some retailers like Macy’s and Lord and Taylor have been closing shops across the country while others like Nordstorm continue to brave the storm and expand into new markets. No matter how you look at it, retailers are facing new obstacles and as a result, their marketing teams have to reinvent the brands in ways that keeps them relevant with the times.
Many high end retailers have caught on and are taking an ironic approach to this re-branding, focusing on the experiences that consumers have with the shop rather than on the objects that they will eventually buy. The goal is, of course, to drive in customers and up sales with the promise of an interesting experience. Saks Fifth Avenue has jumped on this “immersive experience” bandwagon with their new Concept Floor on the second floor of their flagship store on Fifth Ave.
The Concept Floor epitomizes the retail initiative that focuses on bringing shoppers into the store for experiences rather than for items. Examples of these experiences include getting your hair dyed by celebrity colorists, pop up wellness classes and according to the New York Post, now, even getting a tattoo.
What was once considered a fringe element of society has now become 100% mainstream and nothing screams that more than getting a featured space to produce your work in one of New York City’s most iconic, and high end stores. As a part of this experiential new concept floor initiative, tattoo artists from the Lower East Side tattoo parlor, Rivington Tattoo, will be inking Saks customers later this month in a “specially designed display” at the department store’s lower Manhattan location.
In an interview with the New York Post, co-owner of the studio, Wass Stevens said, “You’d be surprised by how many Fortune 500 guys take off their $8,000 suits and $700 shirts to get tattooed. You wouldn’t even know until they lift their sleeve. It’s mainstream now.”
And that’s the irony of it all. According to Stevens, “It’s live theater, it reminds me of the Christmas displays, only when you walk by, you’ll see an old-school Victorian sitting room where people are getting live tattoos.”
Is this immersive experience something you’re interested in? Let us know in the comments.
Featured image: sethvankirk.com