But if gone unnoticed over a long period of time, the store can become an underperforming nightmare. Action must be taken in advance.
A brand’s identity is not just a logo; it’s the multisensory experience your customers delight in every time they walk into your store, regardless of the location. Each visit should be consistent, familiar, and exciting. When a location stops delivering on the company’s brand promise, customers will no longer connect emotionally. They may still wander in, but once they have started to disconnect, loyalty begins to erode.
The Cost of Brand Misalignment
The truth is that a customer disconnect is often much more subtle than the misalignment itself. And the disconnect can be much more damaging. Brand misalignment is about more than cracked paint and broken fixtures. A brand known for its sustainability efforts, for example, may have locations that are still using florescent lighting, thereby creating dissonance that leads to a loss of customer loyalty.
Disloyalty can also be the result of something as simple as an outdated layout that is no longer functional and accommodating for the modern consumer. This can be a lack of technology, from insufficient digital displays throughout the store to an inability to tap and pay at check out. Today’s customers expect immersive brand experiences. These data-driven touch points, when missed, can result in lost revenue and even store closures. As Chute Gerdeman explains:
Chute GerdemanWalk into a store that hasn’t seen an update in seven years and you’ll feel it immediately. The lighting is off. The fixtures are worn. The layout doesn’t support how customers shop today. Yet it’s still open, still operating – on paper, still ‘fine.’ The problem is, ‘fine’ can be a very expensive lie.
Brand Misalignment Damages Brand Loyalty
When a customer leaves a location without having had a memorable and positive experience, they will disengage with the brand. Even if they return to the store, their loyalty and trust will not, especially if there is a measurable difference between the in-store experience and the brand’s online promise. As the brand location continues to spiral, a domino effect that impacts employees, other locations, and even online engagement can follow.
How a Refresh Can Salvage Dated Locations
Our guide, Refresh, Refurb, Remodel: A Framework for Smarter Retail, provides an ideal architecture to resolve misalignment without expensive guesswork. And for those locations that are suffering considerably, a refresh can help get them realigned with the brand quickly and give you time to determine which stores need (and are justified in receiving) more work.
Refresh: Rapid Vibe Recalibrations
In our RRR framework, we demonstrate how a refresh can quickly bring your store back into alignment with your brand. These efforts show customers, employees, and landlords that you care about the location. Small changes, such as new lighting, paint and signage, are a great start. Adding ambient sound can also positively alter the customer experience. Consider introducing small-scale experiences that improve engagement, from tastings to hands-on DIY opportunities.
Brand Alignment Yields ROI Sooner Than You Think
A refresh – rejuvenating tweaks (lighting, signage, small-scale experiences) – can generate a 5-15% uplift in sales in mere weeks. Because the smaller capital outlay for these locations means lower risk, you can use these refresh efforts to determine where and what investments should be made next.
Every location is an ambassador for your brand, so every store needs to project your identity and allow customers to truly experience your brand every time they step inside. By using RRR and ASG’s Standards, Guidelines, and Choices (SGC) model, you establish consistent, emotionally resonant store alignment at scale and on budget.
Download Refresh, Refurb, Remodel to:
- Audit brand‑tone gaps across your portfolio.
- Align investments to brand gaps and opportunity.
- Scale emotion‑driven investments across your store formats.
