We think of architecture as a form of marketing. It can tell the potential customer something about the company and about the likely buying experience.
I saw an example in the Ginza, in Tokyo, where the relationship between architecture, marketing and retailing were stronger than I had imagined possible.
This store is on the main
Ginza street with high-end retailers next to each other endlessly in
every direction. The entrance area is open. There are about five
circular glass pods, with jewelery like displays of watches in each.
When you walk into any glass pod and talk to the sales person standing there, you learn that the pod is an hydraulic lift that will take you up to the floor above with a complete assortment of the watches and jewelry on display from that manufacturer.
It is your personal elevator to the showroom of the company that is on display in the pod.