Roland’s new retail stores let customers customise the store’s lighting, video and audio to their tastes
The brand is capitalising on in-store retail trends with customisable in-store setups that combine technology and music.
Image: Roland
Retail isn’t dead yet, at least not for Roland. The musical instrument manufacturer has announced the rollout of a new “Roland Store” experience at select retailers in the U.S. and globally. At the heart of Roland Store is the company’s new personalised technology named Audience Specific Experience (ASX), which allows stores to control the lighting, video and audio to the taste of each customer with the press of a button.
Roland debuted the technology last year and currently operates ten of the new store formats globally, with expansion into new markets planned for 2022.
The new Roland stores offer full-time Roland product experts, hands-on demonstrations, and access to the full Roland and BOSS catalogue of products. They also showcase how Roland and BOSS products can help consumers learn about, create, and perform music.
Speaking about the impact of e-commerce on the retail landscape, Gordon Raison, Roland’s chief sales and marketing officer said: “The growth of convenient online shopping has put pressure on physical retailers to offer more than just product stock. Customers are increasingly looking to a shopping trip to provide excitement, discovery, learning as well as acquiring products.”
“As a company renowned for innovation and developing the technologies of tomorrow in the music world, it seemed fitting that we should develop the retail experience of the future, as well,” he continued.
Currently, Roland Stores have opened in multiple cities in the United States, Glasgow, Montreal, Beijing, Sydney, and São Paulo. The company states that there are plans to expand to other regions in the future.
