Title	THE DIGITAL RETAIL EXPERIENCE
Brand	POLESTAR
Product/Service	POLESTAR
Category	D01. Retail Environment & Experience Design
Entrant	POLESTAR HQ Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Idea Creation	EHRENSTRAHLE Stockholm, SWEDEN
Production	THE TECHNO CREATIVES Göthenburg, SWEDEN
Production 2	EDITHOUSE FILMWORKS Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Production 3	BRIGO AB Mölndal, SWEDEN
Production 4	ITAB SHOP CONCEPT Jönköping, SWEDEN

Name	Company	Position
Andréas Silverblad	Ehrenstråhle	Design Director
Robert Waern	Ehrenstråhle	Business Director
Johan Kruse	Ehrenstråhle	Strategist
Fredrik Widell	Ehrenstråhle	Digital Director
Elinor Vestergaard	Ehrenstråhle	Copywriter
Johan De Cal	Ehrenstråhle	Copywriter
Jesper Hellmark	Ehrenstråhle	UI Designer
Emelie Eriksson	Ehrenstråhle	Graphic Designer
Kathrin Bachert	Polestar	Digital Lead, Retail Experiences

Background

Entering this project, Polestar had a showrooms concept – Polestar Spaces. This minimalistic concept was built to show off design, cars and selected components in a gallery-like fashion. However, it soon became obvious to Polestar that the ultra minimalistic concept needed further communication and visitor gratification and assigned us to solve this. Visitors could enter the showroom, look around and maybe talk to a salesperson if they were available – but that was it. Our assignment was to make the entire retail concept more interactive, with the goal of making consumers understand and like the brand and products in a deeper way. There was one big challenge though – we weren’t allowed to add any physical signage or additional visible screens to the existing concept other than what was already part of the concept. If successful in its implementations in Oslo and Shanghai, the solutions would then be implemented globally.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

Visitors entering the showroom all have different mindsets. Some are just curious to find out more about the Polestar brand and its products – some are there to configure and buy a new car. No matter what they were there for, we needed to heighten the brand experience during their stay. So, in line with the minimalistic concept of Polestar Spaces, our approach was to find new ways to apply interactive technology that didn’t interfere with the overall visual experience of the showroom. We developed concealed, smart solutions that could adapt and enhance the experience for the individual visitor when this was needed – rather than being always on for the masses.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

We focused on three touchpoints; wayfinding, product information and car configuration. For wayfinding, we used hidden projectors, projecting customizable CTA’s onto the floor of the showroom – keeping communication visible when needed. As a backdrop to the exhibited dampers and brakes, we installed digital displays behind a custom developed frosted glass to seamlessly integrate them into the interior. The displays were connected to proximity cameras that allowed us to adapt the information behind the displayed objects. The closer you got, the deeper the info displayed on the hidden screens. To heighten the in-store car configuration experience, we designed and developed RFID-connected material samples to be used with a new touchscreen car configurator. This allowed visitors to tactilely configure the exterior, interior and wheels of their new Polestar car in a way that just couldn’t be done at home.

List the results (20% of vote)

With the implementation of new, intuitive retail solutions, Polestar Spaces went from being a gallery of cars, car parts and materials to being a fully spatial and interactive brand experience. These interactive solutions freed up time for the busy Polestar staff and kept visitors occupied long enough for the staff to deal with them later on. After a successful pilot testing in Oslo and Shanghai in 2020, the solutions are now being implemented on a full global scale in over 40 more locations.