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Daniel Arsham takes experiential shopping to a whole new level

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NYC-based artist Daniel Arsham has taken over Selfridges’ Corner Shop for an instillation-meets-shopping project as part of the iconic London department store’s three month long ‘future fantasy’ creative campaign.

Wandering along Oxford Street today, I stumbled upon the window display in Selfridges, London’s most famous department store. A white, eroded porche 992 with custom plates reading ARSHAM 3019, a tin of Heinz cream tomato soup that you can buy for £1.50 and even a basketball hoop greets onlookers, drawing them in to the store.

This is part of an art instillation titled ‘The House by Daniel Arsham,’ which reimagines a typical family home in the distant future of 2019 and an example of a new tactic being used by retailers to attract shoppers. Experiential shopping is the method, aiming to provide a more interesting and interactive experience for those who prefer browsing online. An art exhibition and shopping experience at the same time? Count me in.

In recent years, shopping has undergone a dramatic transformation and within the next decade it could change from the simple act of buying into an activity driven entirely by interactive technology and experiences. Responding to the growth of digital shopping, the rise in so-called ‘experiential shopping’ is a new way for brands to reach consumers that may otherwise choose to browse online.

Think pop-up shops on steroids. Stores that confront visitors with fun things to see and do rather than pushing a sale on them the minute they walk through the door. ‘The way in which we are able to have our visitors physically, tangibly, sensually engage with brands has a return on investment that no ad could ever come close to,’ says Maryellis Bunn who designed the Museum of Ice Cream in America.

It’s unsurprising that experience drives sales and many companies are moving towards embracing it – including those at Selfridges. The space showcases a combination of Arsham’s artwork as well as more affordable products for potential buyers and is also the latest example of his involvement with a retailer, arriving directly after his runway design for Dior during Paris Fashion Week.

‘A lot of my work is often trying to find areas to show and engage the public that are not typical art viewing spaces,’ said Arsham. ‘All the collaborations I’ve done, anything related to retail, would be that. And this is one of the most interesting retail experiences globally.’

Working with retail gives the artist an opportunity to show his art in a new medium, one that he perceives to be more accessible than traditional galleries. And experience is a key theme for Arsham when it comes to physical retail, some elements of which cannot be replicated digitally. ‘I think it has to do with a direct visual and spatial connection not only to the product but to the space where the product is held,’ he said, believing that people are placing a new focus on the physical, tactile engagement associated with bricks-and-mortar shopping.

Having worked with Selfridges before, Arsham was fully aware of what a retail experience should feel like, wanting it to be an exhibition that you can walk through but with a real sense of the brand running throughout.

‘I’ve found that when engaging audiences in spaces that are not museums or galleries, people often feel more comfortable and it allows them to enter the work in a different kind of way,’ he said. ‘Art should be an everyday experience; it’s taking something that you know and showing you a different aspect of it.’

The future shopping experience is just around the corner. ‘As this decade comes to an end, it’s so exciting to be looking to the future with Daniel Arsham,’ says Selfridges buying and merchandising director Sebastian Manes. We’ve already seen the start of many of these trends, and I believe they will only continue to develop, eventually dominating the retail world and resulting in customers who are connected to brands and who can shop in a socially responsible way that is both convenient and innovative.

So, what do you think? Do you think experiential shopping is a good idea? Or do you prefer shopping online, from the comfort of your own sofa? Let us know in the comments.

Feature Media Manager & Senior Writer London, UK

Sofia (She/Her) – I’m the Feature Media Manager and a Senior Writer at Thred, specialising in exclusive articles and live interviews, fashion and beauty with a focus on sustainability, women’s rights, psychedelics, and Latin America. I studied Spanish at the University of Exeter and International Journalism at City, London. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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