Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
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all fit in requires analysis of the various market factors of the particular center." The facility is uniquely for retail- innovation-oriented companies, ac- cording to McKenzie. "You won't see biotech startups or anything like that," McKenzie said. "It's definitely companies that have that retail theme in common that are working out of the facility." Product Hunt, for example, pres- ents the latest mobile apps, websites and technology products online each day. The company is launching its first physical store at Bespoke in partnership with Westfield Labs, which will enable customers to discover and test products directly. Gaming company Rovio Enter- tainment demonstrated a virtual-reality version of its Angry Birds game at the Bespoke grand opening and offered touchscreen play to the public during its engagement in June. Several online retailers are at Bespoke to test their wares and services in pop-up shops. Among these is Bow & Drape, a fash- ion brand through which women cus- tomize clothing and accessories online. At the company's pop-up store, custom- ers can go through the exact same cus- tomizing process, but may pick up the completed creations within the hour. "Our most recent foray has been to try to take that experience offline, to give something totally unique that you can't get from other stores," said Au- brie Pagano, co-founder and CEO of Bow & Drape. The progressive think- ing behind the creation of Bespoke ap- pealed to her company, she says. "The fact that they're experimenting with young companies going offline, and us- ing those as an attractive pop-up point and also looping in co-working spaces is definitely a sign of the times," Pagano said. "What we're doing is the first of its kind. They've really cultivated and curated some of the top, innovative fashion brands to set the stage for this space, which is very cool." Shoes of Prey is a global multichan- nel brand that enables shoppers to design their own shoes online, or in- store at select Nordstrom department stores. At Bespoke, the company is showcasing its manufacturing pro- cess, educating customers on how the shoes come together, and augmenting its web-based 3D Designer app with sample materials to help customers envision the final product. The retailer sees Bespoke as an effective means of identifying the technology that will shape the future of retailing. "Being in this space is a great opportunity to be rubbing up against those minds, to be sharing information with those minds and really exploring what the future of retail can be," said Jodie Fox, a co- founder of Shoes of Prey. "This is ours and Westfield's opportunity to show the world how that would look." SCT August 5 – 7, 2015 Hotel Nikko San Francisco San Francisco, CA Ann Handley Christopher Penn Shaun Vann Loren McDonald Liz Gillespie Liz Bacelar J. Skyler Fernandes Lisa DeBow Stacie Ellis Healey Cypher Former Head of Retail Innovations eBay For more information please visit www.icsc.org/2015SMC Featured Speakers MOCIAL+ is more than just Mobile, Social and Local: It is now integrated into everything. Learn how Shopping Center Marketing, Advertising & Sponsorship is evolving at MOCIAL+. J u l y 2 0 1 5 / S C T 51