Embracing new technology, art and creative retail trends to attract young consumers

In the week that Apple launched its new tablet, the art, commercial and retail industry came together to emphasize the importance technology plays and how it should be embraced in the consumer world.

Apple’s new product, launched on March 27, was brought to the market’s attention as it focuses on young consumers and their artistic creativity. The upgrade of traditional retail industry has picked up speed by using modern information technology. A retail store is no longer the only way for a commercial brand to reach its potential customers. 

Art, immersive experience and crossover with other industries have all become significant measures to bring a brand and its consumers closer and they are more welcomed by the younger generation. Being young and passionate is the newest trend, as well as the target of many brands.

On the same day of the tablet’s launch, the third session of the monthly salon event discussing consumption upgrade was held by the art and technology consulting platform Top Tier, its affiliated Consumption Upgrade Research Institute, Eastday.com and a new retail consulting company More Than Retail. 

The event titled “Art Empowers New Retail and Makes Commercial Brands Younger” welcomed professionals from commercial brands, art field, research institutions and financial organizations at the AM|PM bar in the Bund Learning Center. 

A discussion was held among Terry Tian, a special expert of the Consumption Upgrade Research Institute of Top Tier and CMO of More Than Retail, Andy Zhou, fashion visual creative director of EP YAYING Group, Ni Chong, senior project executive from Kantar Consulting and renowned Shanghai artist Luo Erqi.

Andy Zhou, one of the main planners of fashion brand EP YAYING's 2017 exhibition “YAYING Carving Time with Artistry,” said that art can bring more creativity into a brand, creativity is the key of keeping young and being young is the newest trend. YAYING Group is always keen in keeping its image young and modern since it was established more than three decades ago. 

Ti Gong

“Being young means we always have to discover new and special things in the world with our own eyes, so that we can better communicate with artists and extract new artistic ideas that will be interesting for our younger customers,” Zhou said.

Renowned artist Luo Erqi has been working with several commercial brands in his career. He graduated from Shanghai University, Fine Oil Painting Department and Ecole de Beaux-Arts de Besaancon, Art Department, France. 

Luo believes the commercial industry is something that can be designed while art grows freely and naturally as a child. Their natural differences create conflicts while bringing art into a commercial brand. Artists are facing great challenges in the current diversified world. They can no longer stay only in their own world. Using a different perspective to treat cooperation with commercial brands and creating new ideas together with them is meaningful for both art itself and helping commercial brands keeping young.

“The mainstream consumers on the market are composed more and more of the younger generation born in the 1990s and 2000s,” said Ni Chong, a senior project executive from Kantar Consulting. 

“Many marketing personnel assume that being young means being open and bustling. However, we find out that the younger generation’s favorite is being genuine and they hate it when others force a concept on them. 

They need to discover the concept by themselves through observation. Art is exactly something that’s genuine and can make people think. So when a commercial brand works with an artist, it is not the most important whether the artist is famous or not. What the younger generation desires is the process that helps them finding themselves and their inner feelings.”

Other experts and guests from LVMH Group, P&G Group, Marie Dalgar and Unionpay all shared their opinions on the event.