A Phygital Retail Ecosystem
for INSPIRED KINEMATICS
2018 - 2019
VAPH, a premium footwear brand, deployed as the first built execution of Anecdot.
#retaildesign #omnichannel #retailexperience #startup #designinindia #servicedesign #ecosystemdesign
Back in 2018, digital-first brands like Myntra, Amazon, Firstcry, Pepperfry — were opening physical stores...
...But Why?
THE BUILD UP
Two experienced professionals came together to build hardware-tech solutions for the evolving retail market. Their first product, XPLOR — a patented IoT smart shelf. I joined the project as an industrial designer, shaping the product language and use cases. It won awards but not investors.
The founders got motivated to pivot and look for other solutions in the domain. I joined them as a fractional design lead and together, we went looking for the next opportunity.
Fractional
Design Lead
Strategy Business
Product Strategy
Service Design
Industrial Design
Interaction Design
TAKING A STEP BACK
Touchpoints across Shopper's Journey
The Pattern revealed - Digital channels were exceptional at discovery and convenience. Physical retail continued to build confidence during product evaluation. TRUST was a key factor why shoppers were still shopping offline. The future wasn't about choosing between online and offline. It was about combining the strengths of both into a omni-channel experience and provide a seamless shopper experience.
​
Industry reports consistently pointed in the same direction - 62% still prefer to shop offline · 88% global and 95% of Indian retail sales remain offline · digital influence set to triple by 2025.
TAKING A STEP BACK
Touchpoints
across Shopper's
Journey
The Pattern revealed - Digital channels were exceptional at discovery and convenience. Physical retail continued to build confidence during product evaluation. TRUST was a key factor why shoppers were still shopping offline. The future wasn't about choosing between online and offline. It was about combining the strengths of both into a omni-channel experience and provide a seamless shopper experience.
​
Industry reports consistently pointed in the same direction - 62% still prefer to shop offline · 88% global and 95% of Indian retail sales remain offline · digital influence set to triple by 2025.
INSIGHTS TO
OPPORTUNITY
What about
emerging brands?
Omnichannel had become a necessity, not a nice-to-have. Large brands could afford flagship stores, dedicated teams and operational infrastructure. Emerging brands couldn't.
​
How might emerging brands get omnichannel advantage without the operational weight ? How can we make it accessible to them, while justifying the investment?
ADDRESSING THE
CHALLENGE
Retail as a Service (RaaS)
The answer wasn't just another product or space, but an ecosystem binding four layers - Experience, Space, Insight, and Operation into a flexible rent and subscription model.
​
Brands could activate multiple stores across locations, each running the full ecosystem — sharing their story, showcasing curated inventory (flagship, new launch, or best-selling), and connecting shoppers to their extended digital catalogue. The system enabled a seamless shift from physical browsing to online purchase, while giving brands visibility into performance at every touchpoint.​
DESIGNING THE EXPERIENCE
Walking Through
the Journey
Every interaction inside the space was designed to reduce the friction between physical exploration and digital convenience. A visitor could walk in, understand the brand story, compare products and experience their quality firsthand.
​
Carrying every size, colour, and style in-store wasn't practical for low rent-small space — so the space held curated pieces, with NFC unlocking the rest of each brand's range on demand. A shopper could tap through as many products as they wanted, building their selection at their own pace, and complete the purchase on their phone once ready — skipping the queue entirely.
​
Instead of treating physical and digital commerce as separate experiences, the journey allowed customers to move naturally between both.
FOUNDATION
PRINCIPLES
Product Strategy
The design started with a belief I pushed early-
Shopper experience should feel like visiting an exclusive brand pop-up and not a typical kiosk in a shopping mall.
For brands it would be a space where brand could share their anecdotes impactfully. Tying them together would be a glamorous display of curated products.
We named it Anecdot.
MODULAR FOR
ADAPTATION
90 sqft of modular assembly for quick set-up. Expandable up to 150 sqft. Weather friendly materials for both indoor and outdoor installations.
OPTIMIZED
FOR IMPACT
Linear wide space to avoids narrow space-discomfort and maximize product visibility across more walk in.
ENABLED BY
TECHNOLOGY
Two interactive displays for the digital catalogue, aided by a staff to assist the shopper seamlessly transition between physical and digital mediums.
EMPOWERED BY
ANALYTICS
One dashboard for brands to monitor store performance and user behavior. Another dashboard for backend team to monitor the ecosystem.
GROUND WORK
Giving a
Shape to the
Ecosystem
CREATIVE EXCERCISE
Bringing the Ecosystem to Life
FINAL
REFLECTIONS
The Way Forward
THE RETAIL SPACE
Interactive DIGITAL EXPERIENCE
inkidash for ADMIN to monitor and manage the complete ecosystem
ANALYTICAL
DASHBOARD
MONITORING
anecdash for BRANDS to monitor and manage their stories
EXECUTING
THE DESIGN
Prototype,
Validate,
Assemble
INDIA's FIRST
PHYGITAL RETAIL
EXPERIENCE
Pilot Launch
Anecdot was launched on June 2019 at Forum Neighborhood Mall, Bangalore
Anecdot enabled two emerging brands - VAPH and Arcticfox over the period of 10 months before the pandemic disrupted retail operations. It managed to engage with more than 8000 shoppers and also got us close to a retail collaboration with real-estate partner for future installation.
Sandeep is both analytical and creative in his process and spends time to genuinely understand the business he is collaborating with. As a result, he always comes up with thoroughly researched, fully functional designs that transcend our expectations. What makes Sandeep and his team outstanding is their dedication towards what they do and goes above and beyond their commitment ensuring rewarding results.
Ajith Pookkunniyil , Director - BD
INSPIRED KINEMATICS PVT. LTD.
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