Project Overview

Best. Design to Life have been collaborating with Lotterywest for over the past two years to transform the physical retail experience; with a sole focus on customer centricity. With a unique retail operating model encompassing over 550 sites throughout Western Australia, we have crafted a new experience that is a dramatic shift from the past. Unlike it's counterparts around Australia, Lotterywest is still a government owned lotteries commission, with a heavy focus on 'giving' grants back to the community. The new design redefines the balance between the retail and grants divisions, and when rolled out, will effect a transformed. consistent, simplified and engaging/interactive immersive physical experience that is intended to increase sales and importantly, broaden the customer base by making the product and experience relevant to new player segments. It will also be complemented by other retail channels (including online) to ensure the strategic five-year business growth plan objectives are met. The rollout over the 550 franchise sites will take 3 years, and commenced early in 2016.

Project Commissioner

Lotterywest

Project Creator

Best. Design to Life

Team

Roy Hansen; Project Manager
George Thompson; Senior Industrial Designer
Nick Pickering; Senior Information Designer
Tom Debenham; Interior Design

Project Brief

Transformation for such a large retailer is never an easy task - but it was time. With 550 retail outlets, this is by far one of Australia's largest retail design projects at the present time. The last time the retail environment was overhauled was in 2003 (with a progressive rollout). The brief centred around making the customer experience and journey in the physical environment more relevant for today (and in fact, the next decade) and that would assist Lotterywest in achieving their strategic business objectives over the next five year cycle (focused on growth). The brief complexities were vast; create a transformed customer experience that is consistent across the network of franchisees throughout Western Australia, but that is flexible enough to scale up and down where needed to suit the individual requirements of each franchisee. Add to that a desire to REDUCE the total footprint within each retail outlet, but by driving revenue growth, and new materiality requirements to ensure robustness, whilst delivering within stringent budget parameters - the challenge to transform for the customer, and the business with all its stakeholders was a large one. The project has been managed out of a separate project office at Lotterywest.

Project Innovation/Need

Following prototyping and mock-store testing; it has been commented by many lottery industry stakeholders that this design is 'global leading' - and it is! From the global research piece undertaken at the commencement stages of the design process; it is evident that not one other lottery provider (private or public) is adopting such a forward-thinking customer-centric/focused design solution within this category. The category is stagnating in revenue terms on a global scale, and only dramatic change and transformation through design will provide the platform needed to broaden the customer base and attract new players in a younger demo/socio graphic profile. The focus on technology in our designed experience solution does just this - it simplifies the engagement and uses a new technology solution to effect the transaction. It also provides multiple zones (including new self serve technology) to provide multiple channels for customers to 'buy' in the retail environment. The dynamic changing colour that matches the product of the day, with digital point of sale promotional graphics further cements the focus on clear, concise and targeted communications to customers throughout their journey to purchase.

Design Challenge

The challenges of this brief were vast, and there were many. First and foremost, Lotterywest do not own any standalone stores; they are contained within other mixed-business/category retail environments. Secondly, it is a franchise arrangement which meant that the cost of change needed to be sold to each individual business owner. Add to that, Lotterywest HQ's desire and brief requirements that this design was to last 10-years and meet stringent cost parameters - Best. Design to Life have adopted a collaborative approach to ensuring that the final design experience was as conceptualised and endorsed; but could be commercially viable and 'real'. This has required a great deal of development to ensure that the customer focused design was also suitable for operators, that decisions did not dilute the principles of the design intent (simplification, engagement, interaction and CHOICE). The solution was an agile, kit of parts approach to the design solution that enables each retailer to piece together the new retail experience within their own store based upon their own requirements. This flexible approach ensures that zones however, remain consistent for the customer throughout WA, whilst ensuring that the design was empathetic to varied needs.

Sustainability

In meeting the brief requirements for this project; the largest aspect of sustainability that has been at the forefront of all design development activities is by far 'cost'. As a franchisee business and with a complex rollout project cost methodology; delivering the whole-of-design at a cost effective rate to ensure maximum uptake by franchisees has been the focus; and the core challenge. This has been achieved by a focus by both Lotterywest and Best. Design to Life to prototype and to test multiple materiality solutions to ensure that the design intent remains; but that no stone has been unturned in the marketplace to ensure that the best value is being specified for use. As this project will be rolled out over the next 36-months, it has also been critical to ensure the design minimises cost creep over the full lifecycle of the project; including operational and maintenance requirements (ongoing).

Interior Design - Retail

This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes and aesthetic presentation. Consideration given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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