Developing an agile design system to build the budget-friendly retail experience of the future.

Target Audience Framing
Innovation Funneling
Conceptual Ideation
Brand Design

Creative Direction
Retail Design
Environmental & Interiors
Production & Build

Animation & Motion
Full-Service Production
Copywriting Mastery
Illustration

Competitive Recon
Cultural Scouting
Consumer Insight Mining
Customer Journey

YC retail

Yankee Candle, one of the world's largest home fragrance manufacturers and retailers, aimed to disrupt and reimagine their retail experience. Inspired by the success of the Candle Power SoHo Pop-Up shop, a three pillar test program was developed focusing on testing big immersion, merchandise and promotions.

To maintain their status as a category leader, they needed a scalable store front design strategy that would create an engaging and interactive experience, drive mall traffic and sales, while remaining financially viable. This program fell under the big immersion pillar.

Through rounds of consumer market insight (CMI) testing, I developed and refined themes and concepts, ultimately crafting an award-winning design system. This system elevated 25 Yankee Candle’s retail stores from the mundane to interactive experiences, featuring seven changeovers from Fall through Mother’s Day.

This top-tier 3D program was part of a broader initiative to test promotional, merchandise, and immersive offerings across eight groups, covering 146 of 247 stores. This test aimed to audit and gain insights into consumer behavior and response to maximize future efforts and sales growth.

RESULTS

52% + Consumer traffic  |  36% + Sales  |  60% + Personalization sales 

2020 Bronze Addy Award: Retail Storefront, Interior Design and Branded Buildout

team

Kristen Branch

credits

Fabricator: Orora Visual