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Store experience and co-creation: The case of temporary shop

Article  in  International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management · January 2012

DOI: 10.1108/09590551211193586

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Store experience
Store experience and co-creation: and co-creation
the case of temporary shop
Tiziana Russo Spena, Angela Caridà, Maria Colurcio and
Monia Melia 21
University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy
Received September 2010
Revised July 2011
Abstract Accepted July 2011
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on Temporary Shops, a recent communication and
distribution innovation used by firms in order to improve interaction with customers and to reinforce
brand loyalty and equity. The main aim of the study is to frame the Temporary Shops phenomenon in
Italy and to analyze its value co-creation potential.
Design/methodology/approach – The DART model proposed by Prahalad and Ramaswamy has
been chosen as the theoretical framework for understanding the Temporary Shops phenomenon. The
authors investigate the process of value co-creation inside the Temporary Shops through its four key
building blocks, namely, dialogue, access, risk/benefits and transparency. Through a multiple-case
study, the authors study in-depth evidence from five leading firms that represent the main Temporary
Shops in Italy over the last two years.
Findings – Temporary Shops provide a locus of value co-creation in which the interactive and
experiential relationship between the firm and the customer is engaged and value co-creation emerges.
Research limitations/implications – There are two main limitations: this study is exploratory
and analyzes co-creation only from the company perspective. Further studies may widen the unit of
analysis from firm to customer’s network and thus provide further insights about antecedents and
implications of the interaction in a multi-sensory context.
Originality/value – The work contributes to understanding the role of experiential environment in
value co-creation processes, as well as analyzing the contribution of a new distribution phenomenon
with respect to co-creation through the application of the DART model.
Keywords Italy, Shops, Consumer behaviour, Marketing strategy, Temporary shops,
Consumer experience, Experiential marketing, Value co-creation, Experience co-creation,
In store experience
Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction
Recently, there has been increased interest in the role of experience in marketing
research. Based on the notable contributions of Hirschman and Holbrook (1982) and
Schmitt (1999) to the experiential marketing literature, numerous articles and studies
dealing with the emotional, experiential and sensory dimensions of marketing now
address the implications of this approach on purchasing and consumption behavior
(Vigolo, 2007). Among studies emphasizing the highly symbolic and experiential
dimension of purchasing and consumption, some interesting insights arise from
Ramaswamy’s (2009) article entitled “Co-creating value through customers’
experiences”, which focuses on customer interactions. Experience is not a material International Journal of Retail
or immaterial tool to be sold and transferred from firm to customer; rather, it is & Distribution Management
Vol. 40 No. 1, 2012
co-created through the customer’s participation and involvement within a sensory and pp. 21-40
emotional sphere (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004a, b; Carù and Cova, 2006, 2007). q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0959-0552
From these social and emotional relationships, the consumer extracts the value that he DOI 10.1108/09590551211193586
IJRDM or she contributes in order to co-create value (Ravald and Grönroos, 1996; Storbacka
40,1 and Lehtinen, 2001; Woodruff and Flint, 2006).
Based on this view, emerging firm strategies aim to build strong interactions and
trust relationships with the consumer (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004a; Carù and
Cova, 2007).
From an experiential perspective, the point of sale, which is defined here as the space
22 where the interaction between the firm and the customer takes place, assumes a new role.
It becomes a cognitive and emotional place (Pellegrini, 2001; Codeluppi, 2001; Castaldo
and Mauri, 2008), where firms and consumers build their relationship and emotional
exchange occurs. Hence, many companies have developed in-store marketing strategies
based on entertainment, design, customer involvement and sensory attributes in order to
encourage certain forms of experience, especially in terms of brand awareness and brand
value (Codeluppi, 2001; Castaldo and Mauri, 2008), as potential tools for customer value
creation (Fox and Sethuraman, 2006; Grewal and Levy, 2007).
Much research has been carried out on experience, investigating the co-creation of
value and experiences from a consumer perspective (Chen, 2009). We agree with Hilton
(2008), that future research needs to focus on experiences from a managerial
perspective, where experiences are co-created by interaction among the visitor and the
experience (Bäckström and Johansson, 2006). Particularly, as Gentile et al. (2007, p. 395)
note, “there is the need to shed some light on how the right environment and setting for
the desired Customer Experience should be created in such a way as to contribute to
the value creation for customers and the company itself”.
With respect to its physical and sensory attributes, the point of sale is an experiential
environment, which may enable value co-creation processes (Fox and Sethuraman, 2006;
Grewal and Levy, 2007; Caridà et al., 2010). At the point of sale, numerous elements
combine to create experience, such as sensory stimuli, environment, design and
structures, front-line staff and store atmosphere (Relph, 1976; Baker et al., 1992;
Puccinelli et al., 2009; Verhoef et al., 2009; Grewal et al., 2009; Vigolo, 2007).
In this article, we focus on the physical environment and the atmosphere at the point
of sale by referring to sensory stimuli that may trigger value co-creation processes
through the development of an in-store experience. Specifically, we analyse a point of
sale typology in which the experiential dimension seems to be very important, and we
reference the concept of the Temporary Shops. Temporary Shops are short-lasting
brand stores located in highly representative locations (Pellegrini, 2009; Zarantonello,
2009) that aim to develop brand awareness and strengthen brand loyalty and value
through a recreational happening (Sabbadin and Negri, 2009; Caridà et al., 2010). Based
on our results, we aim to deepen our understanding of how the Temporary Shops allow
firms to set an experiential environment to realized customer co-creation processes.
The article is organized as follows. First, we provide a literature overview of
experience co-creation studies, the experience retail perspective and research on the
Temporary Shops phenomenon. The next section concerns research aim and method.
Then we show main empirical findings and discuss it. Main implication and research
limitations close the work.

2. Literature overview
The conceptual framework of this study emerges from both theoretical and empirical
streams of research. The theoretical framework arises from recent studies both on
experience co-creation and the new landscape of retail research within the in store Store experience
experience domain; the empirical stream provides further details on recent distribution and co-creation
phenomena related to research on Temporary Shops.

2.1 Co-creation in the experiential literature

Based on the seminal work of Holbrook and Hirschman (1982), many studies have
framed value in terms of an experimental consumer dimension (Schmitt, 1999; Pine and 23
Gilmore, 1999). While traditional models identify value in the creation and delivery of
goods and services, new approaches define consumer value as an interactive
relativistic preference experience highlighting the idea that experience defines what is
valuable to a customer (Holbrook, 1996). According to this view, the consumer is not
only a logical thinker but also an individual who is emotionally involved in the
consumption process. In this process, imagination, sensory perceptions and emotions
are particularly relevant.
The development of experiential marketing (Schmitt, 1999) offers a response to the
existential desire of today’s consumers. It offered immersion into the consuming
experience as opposed to the mere purchase of products or services (Carù and Cova,
2007). In line with this perspective, many authors (Pine and Gilmore, 1999; Schmitt,
1999; La Salle and Britton, 2003) have stressed the importance of entertainment, which
is viewed as a key element for the fulfillment of the consumer’s desire for pleasure and
gratification.
The strict focus on entertainment has been criticized by more recent contributors to
experience literature who see in it a risk of trivializing the consumption experience
(Thompson, 2000) by considering the consumer to be a merely passive spectator.
Recently, the concept of experience has been developed within the marketing and
management literature according to the argument that value is not simply offered but
rather co-created or co-produced through the interaction of consumers and producers
(Vargo and Lush, 2004, 2008; Gronroos, 2008). Many authors within the experience
approach (La Salle and Britton, 2003; Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2000, 2004a, b; Carù
and Cova, 2007) emphasize the subjective dimension of experience, giving great
importance to the active role of the consumer as a co-producer, co-marketer and
co-creator. To make experience meaningful, experience must be co-created between the
company and its customers.
La Salle and Britton (2003) stressed that the creation of value involves not simply
the sale of memorable experiences, as Pine and Gilmore (1999) have suggested, but also
the enabling of the customer to experience interactive moments with a company in a
personalized and extraordinary way. In their words, (La Salle and Britton, 2003, p. 38) a
value experience “is a product or service that when combined with its surrounding
experiences goes above and beyond to enhance and bring value to a customer’s life.
Delivering this overall value allows products to exceed the ordinary and become
extraordinary”. At the same time, Prahalad (2004) and Prahalad and Ramaswamy
(2004a, b) pointed out the emergence of a new logic for value creation in which the firm
and the consumer are collaborators in co-creating value with joint extraction of value
as the result. They consider the co-creation experience between the individual and the
experiential environment as the new frontier of strategy innovation and shift
marketing theories on value creation from a firm-centric perspective to a co-creation
perspective, wherein the interaction between firm and consumer is the locus of value
IJRDM creation and value extraction. They also offer a meaningful model – the DART model
40,1 – to analyze the co-creative experience in a practical way. The model puts the focus
back on customer needs and wants, how the company can most effectively meet them
and how firms can generate outcomes of value to customers. The interaction between
the customer and the company form the base of the model, whereas the four pillars of
dialogue, access, risk/benefit and transparency support it. Dialogue is a crucial
24 building block in establishing interaction with consumers; it is defined as interactivity,
deep engagement and a reciprocal propensity to act. Access covers how interaction
empowers customer access to knowledge, tools, information, and experience, thus
allowing value co-creation to occur. Risk/benefit emphasizes the double subjective
perception of value in interaction and the need for a better understanding and
balancing of return to generate benefits to consumer and the company. Transparency
involves the symmetry of information during interactions, which enables the rise of
strategic information and trust capital for both partners. Through this
conceptualization, the authors stressed the necessity for a firm to look beyond
product and service offerings to see how customers experience value propositions and
connect the two. The co-creation experience occurs when individuals exercise choices
and value is co-created; as such, these points of interaction provide opportunities for
those processes to break down. In contrast to Pine and Gilmore’s (1999) work, they
stated that in co-creation, it is not the company that stages the experience but
increasingly consumers themselves who do so; thus, experiences are staged in
value-creating interactions between the company and consumer(s) (Prahalad and
Ramaswamy, 2004a).
From a different perspective, Carù and Cova (2007, p. 3) discuss the passive and active
ways the consumer becomes immersed in experience; this active immersion can be
“thought of as a whole set of operations that consumers carry out to produce the
experience by manipulating to their own advantage whatever is being done to
manipulate them”. Other research (Cova and Salle, 2008; Prahalad and Krishnan, 2008)
has attempted to understand how the co-creation of value and experiences involves a
consideration of consumer-to-consumer (C2C) interactions as the application of consumer
social and relational resources (e.g. family or community).Nevertheless, despite the
different approaches and various models proposed, the main contribution emerging in
literature involves the changed role that firms and customers play in the value creation
process (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004a; Gentile et al., 2007). A firm does not simply
offer products or experiences; it also provides artifacts and an environment in which
consumers can have active dialogue and co-construct personalized experiences. While
the firm offers a value proposition potentially conducive to experience, it is the customer
who actualizes this potential by co-creating his/her own unique value experience
(Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004b; Carù and Cova, 2006, 2007).
The co-creation experience process is seen as an interactive process initiated by the
firm to support customer creation processes within the context of experience space
(Prahalad and Krishnan, 2008). This experience space is conceptually distinct from that
of the product and consumption space: within it, the individual consumer is central, as
is the interaction that puts customers in touch with the firm and other customers. It is
the source of any personal meaning derived from the co-creation experience, which
determines the value of the experience to the individual (Ramaswamy, 2009).
2.2 Store environment and in store experience Store experience
Understanding and enhancing the customer’s experience is becoming a critical theme in and co-creation
the retail marketing agendas of academics and practitioners. Among the wealth of retail
studies, some results emerge about the importance of the retailer environment on
customer purchasing behavior (Kotler, 1973; Relph, 1976; Baker et al., 1992). Focusing on
the relationship between retail environmental factors and consumption behavior, this
research has widely demonstrated the impact of retail space on the shopper’s sensory 25
and social stimulations, which leave the shopper pleasured and aroused in his/her
continuous buying efforts (Turley and Milliman, 2000). Considering the two-way
influence between the store environment and customer mood, other studies have further
analyzed the influence of store environmental features on the shopper’s search retail
process and on the customer’s affective and behavioral responses (Gardner, 1985; Titus
and Everett, 1995). In this line of work, the review proposed by Turley and Milliman
(2000) offered a systematic classification of atmospheric variables in order to advance
theoretical efforts to better explain, predict and control consumer behavior.
Recently, renewed debate on these topics has furthered discussion of the role of
experience at the retail stage by stressing the role of interaction and customer
engagement. Particularly, Verhoef et al. (2009) analyzed the links among retail-controlled
factors (e.g. service interface, retail atmosphere, assortment and price) and
uncontrolled factors (e.g. the influence of others and the purpose of shopping) in the
co-creation experience. This research also stressed the need to consider customer in-store
experiences in connection with both consumer point of contacts, including brand
experience, as well as the past experiences and personal environment of customers.
Similarly, Puccinelli et al.’s (2009) analysis attached great importance to store atmosphere,
which is defined as the design, ambience and social cues present in a physical space, in
order to advance a personalized customer experience. In his words, a broader
consideration of the consumer experience implies that firms should strive to account for
consumer co-creation; that is, firms need to focus on how consumers deploy their own
cultural, cognitive and social resources with the aid of retailer resources to pursue
personal identity and communal projects (Puccinelli et al., 2009).
Other studies on shopping experiences demonstrate the importance of sensory
experiences and their implications in the retail setting and related marketing strategies
(Burns and Neisner, 2006; Fiore and Kim, 2007). From this perspective, the entire retail
space can be seen as a part of a shopper’s visual landscape that influences experience
and, hence, fosters a more favorable in-store action of the shopper.
In a similar vein, the evolution of the store as experience space has pushed other
scholars to further examine the importance and role of space in defining the brand
experience (Kent and Stone, 2006; Kent, 2007). Sensory environment store design and
brand strategy have become strongly interrelated aspects of a strategy aimed at
helping the consumer to become immersed and engaged within a memorable
experience proposed by the firm.
Empirically, there is much evidence supporting the new conceptualization of the
store as an experience environment allowing sensory, emotional and social connections
(Castaldo and Mauri, 2008; Zaghi, 2008).The flagship store, the concept store, the
pop-up store and the temporary shops are different manifestations of this new view of
the store as a showcase for a branded experience. More than ever before, stores have
evolved from the traditional places in which goods are bought and sold into places that
IJRDM must actually communicate and interact with consumers by means of a physical
40,1 configuration capable of arousing customer emotion and allowing emotional
connections with intrinsic value (Penn, 2005).

2.3 The Temporary Shops in Italy

Appearing only recently as a new marketing tool, the Temporary Shops represent an
26 appealing innovation in a firm’s communication and distribution strategy.
The term Temporary Shop was coined to describe a brand store open for a short
time, often in a highly representative location of a large city, that quickly draws crowds
around an event before disappearing or morphing into something else (Pellegrini, 2009,
Zarantonello, 2005, 2009). Although the Temporary Shops have recently surged in
popularity, the literature on it is scant, and a unique definition for this phenomenon has
yet to be well established. Often the definition of the Temporary Shop is very wide and
confusing, as it lumps all provisional places together and often overlaps with the
defining characteristics of a typical outlet format.
However, more consolidated contributions (Pellegrini, 2009; Zarantonello, 2005)
have attributed to this phenomenon a more strategic aim according to a wide range of
alternatives, including to:
.
create happenings;
.
elicit emotions;
.
start a new trend;
.
test a brand;
.
improve the impulse to buy; and
.
provide physical presence for online or virtual firms.

In Italy, the Temporary Shops phenomenon is growing. In 2009, there were 50

providers of temporary services (e.g. leasing, planning design and promotion).
Thirty-eight were located in Milan, the city of high fashion. In 2009, their revenues,
including events and communications were estimated to be 24 million e, showing a
rapid growth in comparison to the corresponding figure of 7.5 million e in 2008
(Assotemporary, 2010). Many businesses consider this formula to be attractive.
Fashion and design were the initial users of this formula, but today, it is widely used
by all sectors, including food, furniture and cosmetics and so on. The main goal of
Temporary Shops concerns communication, especially in terms of events that
strengthen and make the brand memorable (Assotemporary, 2010). Some recent
empirical research (Zarantonello, 2009; Costa and Cattaneo, 2010; Zorzetto and
Catalano, 2010) highlight that the Temporary Shop as a one-brand space is used to
communicate and strengthen brand identity and provide an experimentation place
where interaction with the consumer is central to developing and extending the brand.
The purpose of these stores is to satisfy increasingly complex consumer needs by
focusing on brand awareness and brand value (Castaldo and Mauri, 2008). According
to its purposes, the Temporary Shop is characterized by a high level of originality.
Design and location are fundamental as functional to “scene” realization, enhancing
brand-consumer awareness and intensifying the interaction between point-of-sale
identity and the customers’ sensory, emotional and cognitive perceptions. Other
elements are also important according to research on Temporary Shops success. These
include the synergies created by the exploitation of various contemporary events Store experience
(e.g., festival, fashion and cultural happenings) and cross-fertilization with other and co-creation
temporary initiatives, as the launch of temporary radio has widened experience
opportunities (Costa and Cattaneo, 2010; Zorzetto and Catalano, 2010).

3. Research methodology
Research aim and framework for investigation 27
Based on the overview of literature provided above, we aimed to better understand the
experiential co-creation process at the point of sale, which is characterized by high
sensory and interactive dimensions (Carù and Cova, 2006, 2007; Prahalad and
Ramaswamy, 2004a), and to contribute to the debate on the experiential approach in
the store-experience literature. This explorative study was developed to provide
theoretical and empirical insights. First, it employs a theoretical framework to
investigate the phenomenon. Second, it empirically investigates various theoretical
assumptions. Mainly, we investigated the potential of Temporary Shop as
multi-sensory enablers for triggering value co-creation processes, because we believe
that this innovative retailing form offers opportunities for consumers to co-construct
their own experiences on demand in a specific context of space and time (Prahalad and
Ramaswamy, 2004b).We described the theoretical DART model proposed by Prahalad
and Ramaswamy (2004b) in our literature review above. We decided to utilize this
functional model in our research because it emphasizes the role of experience in the
value co-creation process (Ramaswamy, 2009).

Research method and sampling

As the Temporary Shops are an emerging phenomenon in Italy, we chose a multiple
case study method (Yin, 2002), as it is useful for inductively developing a theory
through the description and analysis of new phenomena (Baker and Foy, 2003). It is
generally agreed (Yin, 2002) that the case study method is suitable for examining
multiple features of a phenomenon and the interrelationships between them. Data
triangulation (Bonoma, 1985) was also employed using a variety of tools, including
documentary analysis, direct observation, and informal conversations.
Our sampling strategy was based on four availability criteria used to select
companies. First, we contacted Assotemporary (an institutional organization that groups
temporary shop players in Italy) to take a census of brands that opened Temporary
Shops in the last three years. Thus, we defined a population of 50 Temporary Shops.
From this group, we selected ten Temporary Shops based on the width of the space and
location, shop duration and the number of visitors and customers contacts. These ten
main Temporary Shops were all located in Milan (the fashion city of Europe), filled a
space larger than 150 square meters, were open for more than two weeks and received
more than 3,000 visitors. Therefore, we contacted all ten companies, and five of them
agreed to collaborate, including Nivea, Alixir, Durex, Café Boutique Saeco and Vernel
Crystals. Table I provides an overview of our sample.

Data gathering and analysis

We gathered data using both qualitative interviews and observations. Qualitative
interviews serve as “reality-constructing and interactional events during which the
interviewer and the interviewee construct knowledge together” (Koro-Ljungberg, 2008,
 28
40,1

Table I.
IJRDM

investigation
Temporary shops under
CAFE’ BOUTIQUE
NIVEA ALIXIR DUREX SAECO VERNEL CRYSTALS

Aim Enhance customer Enhance brand activation Communication of new Communication of brand New product launch
contact with products and brand awareness brand positioning identity
and brand Focus on exclusive
positioning
Period 1 month 2.5 weeks 1 month 1 month 2 weeks
(April 2007) (February 2008) (September 2008) (October 2008) (March 2009)
Location Milan Porta Ticinese 22 Milan zona Brera Milan Corso Garibaldi Milan Corso Garibaldi Milan Corso Garibaldi
Visitors/ 6,000 /70,000 5,000/54,000 4,000/90,000 3,000 /37,000 7,000/46,000
contacts
p. 430). Narratives allow one to observe subjective expressions (Flick, 2009). We Store experience
therefore applied a narrative, text-based research design. We conducted a series of and co-creation
problem-centered interviews containing narrative elements with the marketing
directors of the Temporary Shops in order to gain insight into the particularities
regarding innovation in this special sector. Questions were arranged according to each
DART model dimension and each Temporary Shop’s purpose and aim. Figure 1
summarizes the main aspects investigated according to the four main blocks of the 29
DART model (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004a).
From June 2008 to June 2009, our researcher also visited Temporary Shops in progress
and gathered observation data to obtain additional information. According to this study’s
goal of developing a deeper understanding of complex interaction in an experiential
environment, we believed it was necessary to develop a holistic perspective that
represents the principles patterning the data as opposed to exclusively relying on simple
aggregation. The information collected has been analyzed in relation to each dimension of
the model and is discussed in connection with the evidence that has emerged.

4. The DART model for co-creating value with customers

Dialogue
In all analyzed cases, dialogue has concerned three relationships:
(1) between firm and consumers;
(2) among consumers; and
(3) between consumers and experts (see Table II).

Nivea encouraged a deeper dialogue with its consumers by providing close to real-time
conversation and strongly communicating its offerings, both visually and through an

Figure 1.
The framework for
investigation – building
blocks of interactions in
the co-creation of value
IJRDM
Consumer and company Among consumers Consumer and experts
40,1
NIVEA Free beauty treatments Relaxation zone Shopper assistance
include exclusive make-up Blog Active training action
line Events such as a weekend executed by experts
Web site party and happy hours
30 Emoticon campaign
ALIXIR Free products test Next food experience Presence of chefs of Barilla
Hologram panels Web community Meetings with nutrition,
Touch video wall well-being, health and
Alixir card beauty experts
Web site Online QX test
Contact with experts
DUREX Free new product “DUREX Great living zone Reading informative and
O” sample distribution Events: weekend party, humorous texts on sex
happy hours
SAECO Web site Coffee relaxation zone for Coffee tasting course
Active training action to use moms, where they can Cappuccino decoration and
coffee machines socialise have a “coffee pastry making courses
Interactive laboratory to live experience” Coffee cocktail training
the coffee experience action
Teaching about different cru
VERNEL Web site Blog on web site for sharing Cookery and Ikebana
Encourage consumer the consumption experience courses
curiosity Meeting with aesthetical
Table II. Promote a virtual trip into experts and home economic
Dialogue the Temporary Shop consultant

effective strategy of servitization. A stimulating and engaging display offered a wide

overview of Nivea’s products, including “Beautè”, an exclusive makeup line.
Additionally, the Temporary Shop’s offerings included free beauty treatments to
personalize the customer experience with Nivea’s products. Indeed, Nivea’s personal
shopper assistance for its products stood in contrast to the self-service formula
implemented at traditional large retail stores.
Alixir used different multimedia tools to involve visitors in the brand experience; in
particular, the food company promoted a virtual trip to discover the nutritional
guidelines. Tests, suggestions and rules for healthy living were played over a
loudspeaker along the passing of a dark hall in order to create a link between visitors
and nutrition and health themes as well as to create a connection to the brand.
Durex focused on the distribution of free samples of its new product “Durex O” to
communicate its new brand positioning: from safe sex to better sex. Saeco invited its
visitors to use its coffee machines through active training actions.
Vernel stimulated the curiosity of customers encouraging them to take a virtual trip
through numerous Internet points disseminated throughout the store.
To develop a dialogue among consumers to encourage the sharing of information,
experiences and knowledge, foster a sense of membership in a social network and
create a loyal community, companies promoted blogs and events such as happy hours.
This aspect is emphasised in the Alixir space, which improved dialogue between its
visitors through the Next Food Experience, an initiatives for which the visitors tasted Store experience
personalised menus prepared in the store by chefs. A big round table, placed in the and co-creation
centre of the store, symbolises the parity of the community’s members, highlighting the
food’s social values.
The dialogue between consumers and experts focused on learning and the
development of communication flow between two problem-solvers. Indeed, Nivea
emphasised the personal store assistance for its products, differently from the 31
self-service formula implemented at traditional large retailers store.
Alixir focused on the direct contact between visitors and experts in the field of
nutrition, well-being and health. In particular, the presence of the chefs of Barilla to
make personalised menus balances two opposite concepts, namely, the parity of the
community members and the uniqueness of the visit, as the store encourages
customers to have a unique experience.
Durex promoted the reading of informative texts on sex from customer. Saeco
created personalised courses to teach its visitors the art of coffee. Similarly, Vernel
focused on meetings with aestheticians and household consultants.

Access
To foster engaged dialogue, Temporary Shops provide their consumers with access to
knowledge, tools, and expertise that enables them to experiment with products and
services in an unprecedented way. During a Temporary Shop experience, the role of
access unfolds primarily via the arrangement of physical space, which includes a
supportive virtual/web dimension (see Table III).
All of the Temporary Shops investigated here included a basic distinction between
the point of sale and the socializing area. This attention to space design encouraged
consumers to have a multi-sensory experience. The store setting and use of multimedia
tools combined to build a dynamic space by enhancing the sensory dimension related
to the brand and product culture. Visitors were free to move, stop and interact with
different informative tools that facilitated access to the brand experience. Usually,
access to the experience was anticipated by passing through a decompression space, as
in Saeco’s compass or Alixir’s long corridor, in order to separate visitors from the
outside world and to help their immersion into the brand experience.
The design evoked brand values in a more appealing way. Nivea’s space was blue,
white, rounded, sinuous and perfumed with the same scent of Nivea Crème, all of which
are reminders of its most famous and standard product. The space was also enriched
by unique design pieces to exploit synergies created by different events.
Saeco’s concept synthesized two elements, namely, experimentation and alchemy.
In order to emphasize the five senses, Saeco’s design used smooth lines, multimedia
and symbolic installations, such as a long white table evoking a laboratory
atmosphere, through which the coffee experience provided clear and professional
information to customers. Vernel proposed a minimal setting, colored with the same
colors of its premium product, “Vernel Cristalli” and characterized by perfume
diffusers to reinforce the brand identification.
Location plays a very important role in fostering access to the experience. In fact, it
ensures high visibility of the temporary event. Accordingly, Durex chose to set-up its
Temporary Shop in a trendy location in the center of Milan to capture the attention of
passersby with a colorful, animated design. Bright colors, well-placed merchandise and
IJRDM
NIVEA Space is organised into three main areas: point of sales, beauty area for her and barbershop
40,1 area for him
Space design: blue, white, sinuous and rounded; the scent of perfume is diffused in the air
to evoke brand values in a modern way
Contemporary to the famous exhibition “Salone del mobile”
ALIXIR Space design: orange and black contrast evokes brand values and packaging style
32 Healthy living rules were played as customers passed through the long dark hall
Hologram panels were used to create the contact between visitors and the four Alixir
health areas
Experiential video wall evoked brand values and Alixir lifestyle concepts
An interactive totem was used to participate in the Qx and Nex Food Experience tests
Alixir card
Tasting area of personalised menus made by Barilla’s chefs
DUREX 150 m2 of an elegant and trendy location
Shop entrance: centre of the DUREX “O” expositor
Point-of-sale divided from the exposition area
Exhibitor systems: sinuous design and neutral colour to highlight packaging brightness
Living zone: sofa and table available for visitors
SAECO 150 m2 of an elegant and trendy location
The Compass: entrance decompression space designed to encourage a conscious
perception of place
Interactive wall: a wall used to welcome visitors into the Saeco environment
Exhibition: a large wall used to display coffee machines available to a visitor’s disposal
Laboratory, relaxation area and web site used to lead visitors into a virtual trip that draws
on the five senses
VERNEL 150 m2 of an elegant and trendy location
Easy shop setting , with the same product colours and logo as Vernel Cristalli to facilitate
Table III. visual identification
Access External perfume diffuser used to advertise the perfume product

in-store advertisements all helped create a welcoming and friendly atmosphere that
encouraged customer curiosity. For example, many visitors reported that they had
never been interested in the marketing and sales initiatives of sex product brands
before their experience in Durex’s Temporary Shop.

Risks/benefits
Regarding the assessment of risks and benefits, the role of the Temporary Shops
provides an opportunity for both the firm and the customer(s) to better assess the
advantages and disadvantages associated with their decisions in value creation
processes. All of the studied managers pursued a wide range of marketing objectives
and thus witnessed the resulting effect on fostering customer relationships and brand
loyalty. According to them, the Temporary Shop’s activities widely contributed to the
effectiveness of their firms’ customer relationship strategy and to their efforts to
develop customer loyalty. The opportunity for face-to-face interaction, which was
reinforced by many other supporting initiatives in the store and combined with general
marketing strategy (i.e. interactive display, social activities community, multimedia
tools, and newsletters), facilitated more frequent and personalized contact with
consumers. Accordingly, Alixir included in the promotion of the Qx test and the Next Store experience
Food Experience information about the nutritional styles of actual and potential and co-creation
consumers. Its aim was to reinforce its exclusive positioning and value offered (see
Table IV). Also, Durex’s management found the Temporary Shop to be a meaningful
initiative that sustained the new brand’s positioning and allowed for research on new
business opportunities.
In addition, the economic benefits derived from this more effective and efficient 33
brand experience promotion were remarkable; this may be due to the possible
synergies among the different communication methods used.
According to the consumer’s perspective, the opportunity to test new products, have
a unique experience and buy limited edition products contribute to make consumer
better informed and to reduce their perception of risk of shopping.

Transparency
Temporary Shops have an important communicative finality. Firms promote the
temporary experience to share information, values and brand emotions (see Table V).
In particular, the Durex’s Temporary Shop, with its accessible location, has
emphasised transparency in order to challenge taboos about sexual well-being.
According to the managers, it “has been a real cultural challenge” to clarify the new
brand position in terms of sexual well-being and to expand the targeted consumer
market to women. Additionally, for Alixir, transparency is very important; in fact, its
store evoked authentic and natural elements and highlighted the scientific force of its
project to enhance consumer trust.

NIVEA Free beauty treatments

Limited edition merchandising
Community
Web site
Newsletter
ALIXIR Qx and NFE tests
Personalised menu tasting
Training action to learn about relationships between nutrition and well-being
Limited edition merchandising
Web site community newsletter
DUREX Community “Durex Love”
Free sample distribution
Limited edition merchandising
SAECO Web site
Newsletter
Magnets to evoke brand values
Different cru teaching
Stickers to remember the expiration time of temporary
VERNEL External perfume diffuser to reinforce brand identification
Web site
Community
Web site Table IV.
Newsletter Risk/benefit
IJRDM
NIVEA Provided an entire range of products
40,1 Brand positioning focused on new generations, as “beauty follows urban nomads to link
with the new generation’s temperature”
ALIXIR Provided an entire range of products
Concept of linear and transparent areas used to evoke science and technology aspects in
order to reinforce product effectiveness
34 Alixir products with fresh and natural food combinations used to evoke authentic and
natural elements
Glass areas enclosed a large rounded table to highlight the absence of filters between
brand and visitors
DUREX Provided an entire range of products
Implemented the From Safe Sex to Better Sex concept to communicate new brand
positioning, challenge taboos on sexual well-being and improve the consumer’s sexual
well-being
SAECO Concept of evoking brand values and identity was to underline Saeco’s leadership in terms
of innovation and technology
Magnets used to evoke brand value
Web site to promote the temporary event and capitalise the contacts
Smooth lines design to emphasise the sense of touch
VERNEL Provided an entire range of products
Table V. Concept used to launch Vernel Crystals first solid crystals softener
Transparency Web site to promote the temporary event and capitalise the contacts

In a different way, the Vernel’s Temporary Shop experience fostered transparency, as

it addressed cognitive dissonance with a new product concept (that is, solid crystals)
by moving beyond its traditional product image.

5. Main conclusions and implications

This work adds to the emerging research on customer experiences during co-creation
processes. It provides an in-depth analysis of the Temporary Shops phenomenon in
order to offer an understanding of how a firm positively influences user experiences
and increases user engagement during co-creation. The study allowed us to define the
Temporary Shop as an interactive and relational platform (Castaldo and Mauri, 2008;
Pellegrini, 2009; Zarantonello, 2009) that activates content and meaning through a
customer’s multi-sensory engagement (Codeluppi, 2001; Pellegrini, 2001; Castaldo and
Mauri, 2008; Zaghi, 2008; Zarantonello, 2009). The Temporary Shops renew the retail
strategy of firms by offering something truly new to consumers who not only are
looking for goods or at least meaningful entertainment but also are searching for
uniqueness, discovery, empathy and even transformation (Carù and Cova, 2006, 2007).
The Temporary Shops promote the deployment of the four DART building blocks
(Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004a, b; Ramaswamy, 2009) in a synergistic way, which
actualizes the offering’s value potential in the co-creation experience of customer. As an
interactive and narrative place, it allows the firm to market itself, share information with
the customer on production, technology and risks, and offer real access to an
extraordinary brand experience (Kent, 2007). It satisfies both the firm’s need to synthesize
and share its brand values in an original way as well as the consumer’s need for
experience and socialization. As the results suggest, the interaction within these stores
fosters dialogue with the customer beyond simple knowledge and information-sharing Store experience
and leads to the development of a value experience dense environment. The success of the and co-creation
Temporary Shops is intimately bound with the presence of the consumer(s), who fills it
with his/her unique meaning as a co-builder and co-creator of that space.
This temporary access provides the opportunity to experiment with innovative
solutions to create not only a space to exhibit and to be admired but also an interactive
space capable of telling stories and creating shared experiences. The development of 35
this narrative dimension adds further significance to the aim of the temporarily
expanded opportunities for interactions.
Common to all of the cases investigated, in fact, was an emphasis on the social
dimension. This was evidenced both by the physical design of the social area and by
the use of multimedia tools, which simultaneously connect with other places
(e.g. virtual communities, radio, TV and the internet) to enable better resonance with
the customer’s experience.
The focus on access, as emphasized by a central or trendy location, and
transparency strengthens the ability of consumers to make informed and
experience-based choices and enables peer-to-peer interaction, while the
risks/benefits dimension increases a consumer’s confidence in brands and his/her
willingness to immerse in the experience context.
A new concept of space can be fully realized in the Temporary Shop as a place of
consumption, experience, customer interaction and cognitive and sensory involvement.
In summary, in line with related conceptualizations of new marketing phenomena
(Puccinelli et al., 2009; Verhoef et al., 2009; Grewal et al., 2009), the Temporary Shop can
be seen as:
.
an enabler of an interactive dialogue between a firm and a consumer;
.
an interactive place through which the firm markets itself and shares
information with the customer on products, technologies and risks;
.
an interactive and multi-sensory place where the consumer immerses him/herself
in the brand experience; and
.
a “cognitive and experiential place” where firms and consumers build a
relationship and an emotional exchange occurs.

The value outcomes from the Temporary Shop co-creation platform can be displayed in a
map of experience co-creation. Advancing on the results of Prahalad and Ramaswamy
(2004a) we find the practice of experience co-creation related to four main factors, namely:
(1) a new experience for the firm;
(2) a new experience for the customer;
(3) potential value co-created for the firm; and
(4) potential value co-created for the customer.

As Figure 2 shows, we find that the experiences shared in the Temporary Shops
activate a two-way learning process from the firm to customer and vice versa based on
the development of sensory and emotional links. Learning is an essential part of
co-creation that mainly occurs while the interactions proceeding and are experiencing
so encouraging shared understanding among firm and customers. The learning
IJRDM
40,1

36

Figure 2.
A map of experience
co-creation

experienced at Temporary Shops allows for the customization of the firm’s relationship
(which is a new experience for the firm) and the internalization of experiences by the
consumer (which is a new experience for the customer) through a high level of
participation and involvement. In this context, Temporary Shops become a platform
for a complex interaction between the firm, brand identity and the customer’s sensory
and cognitive processes, with a high potential for value co-creation.
The development of a Temporary Shops formula is closely linked not only to
increased investment in communication and distribution but also the development of
more complex marketing competences and skills that are capable of drawing out and
managing the experience context that contribute to align the aims and identity of a
firm with the desires, values and aims of customers in a co-creation context. This not
only requires an understanding of the customer’s needs and wants, but it also requires
a thorough understanding of the customer’s role in this process in terms of the context
and the resources leveraged by the customer to achieve the desired outcome.

6. Limitations and further research

A number of limitations exist on the generalization of the results presented here. First,
we stress the exploratory nature of the study. Second, we note that in this study, the
co-creation process is analyzed in-depth only from the company’s perspective.
There is a clear need to develop further research to investigate the Temporary Shop
from the consumer perspective in order to do the following:
.
Analyze the consumer’s approach to new products and services.
.
Investigate the Temporary Shop’s impact on the consumer’s perception of brand
awareness and brand loyalty as well as to understand the communicative efficacy
of the Temporary Shops as compared to traditional communication tools.
.
Provide managers with useful guidelines for using this multisensory context as a
strategic platform for improving interactive dialogue between firms and
consumers.
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IJRDM About the authors
Tiziana Russo Spena is Adjunct Professor of Marketing at University Magna Graecia of
40,1 Catanzaro and obtained her PhD in Management and Economics in 2002. Her main areas of
interest are innovation, internationalization and marketing and she has attended several
international conferences and published in Italian and international journal and books, including
British Food Journal, Journal of Global Responsibility, International Journal of Quality and Service
Science and International Journal of Innovation Management. Tiziana Russo Spena is the
40 corresponding author and can be contacted at: russospe@unina.it
Angela Caridà is a Research Fellow at University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro. She holds a
PhD in Economic and Management of Healthcare from the University of Catanzaro, Magna
Graecia. She obtained her Business Management Degree in 2006, has attended some national and
international conferences and published in Italian journals. Her main areas of interest are
marketing and innovation.
Maria Colurcio is a Researcher and Assistant Professor of Management and Professor of
Business Analysis at the Department of Business Economics, University of Magna Graecia di
Catanzaro. She obtained her PhD in Management and Economics in 2001 and her main areas of
interest are innovation, quality, and marketing. She has attended several international
conferences and has published several articles in Italian journals and international journals,
including the British Food Journal, International Journal of Innovation Management,
Management, International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, and International Journal
of Quality and Reliability.
Monia Melia has a PhD in Economics and Management of Healthcare from the University of
Catanzaro, Magna Graecia. She obtained her Business Management Degree in 2006 and has
attended some national and international conferences and published in Italian journals. Her main
areas of interest are marketing, innovation and internationalization.

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