American Eagle- unique NYC store

American Eagle was one of the stores that stood out to me as quite innovative while in NYC. I had never been into one of the American Eagle stores before and was interested in how the American brand had made themselves stand out amongst the highly saturated number of bold stores and visual merchandising in NYC.

 

One of the key and original features I noticed in the store, was the addition of services not related to the store, but more as a convenience to the community. In the downstairs half of the store there was a small launderette, and an area for people to sit and wait. Not only does this draw people into the store that may have not previously been interested and make them more likely to look around and purchase, but it also gives the brand a caring and helpful image, by giving people the ability to access an everyday service.

 

The upper half of the store housed a ‘chill out’ den style area, with comfy stalls, desks, and access to power sources. The area was full of children using their computers, doing homework after school, and just hanging out. The fact that the store had used its space to create a safe place for younger children to sit and chill out or work, and keep them off the street, also gives the brand a great image.

 

The store also focused heavily on its denim collection, and the fact that you could customise them. Walking in and seeing the sewing machines, and signs about the customisable jeans, defiantly caught my attention. The idea that people can make an everyday item unique to them straight away, is a great way of Turing an everyday, affordable high-street pair of jeans into a valuable and memorable item, consequentially increasing selling points.