Orchard Road has always been regarded as the prime shopping paradise of Singapore for Singaporeans and tourists alike.

The transformation plans that the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and National Parks Board (NParks) recently announced to strengthen Orchard Road's position as a must-visit lifestyle destination is timely, as Orchard Road is facing similar challenges as many other traditional downtown shopping strips around the world.

The idea of what really constitutes shopping and retail has undoubtedly changed. The advent of e-commerce and online shopping has enabled consumers to directly purchase goods or services from retailers over the Internet, without being physically at a store.

At the same time, some e-commerce retailers are also entering the brick-and-mortar retail space, tapping technology to make the focus of retail solely on improving the customer experience. Examples include Alibaba’s Hema supermarket and Honestbee’s Habitat.

Likewise, Orchard Road can look to effectively use data and the seamless integration of digital and physical/spatial assets to provide accessible information and convenience to customers.

Yet, technology can just as easily be adopted by suburban retail hubs such as Tampines Town Centre and Jurong East Town Centre.

So the answer for Orchard Road lies in developing unique place-based experiences. The concept of placemaking is not new: it is a multi-disciplinary approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces.

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The recently announced transformation plans for Orchard Road have already outlined four separate precincts, each with its own unique features, to cater to different segments of visitors.

This is a right move to make, and I would suggest three further principles to consider in the making of Orchard Road as a truly unique and memorable urban experience.

1. Creating unique destinations

The transformation plans to differentiate Orchard Road from other local regional hubs and international major shopping strips is certainly a right one. The question then is how.

One approach would be to make Orchard Road a collection of flagship stores that offer unique experiences. One example is Omotesandō, a tree-lined street in Tokyo that features a multitude of fashion flagship stores, each an architectural work of art.

The idea about flagship stores is not about them being luxurious, but about them being unique. Take for example, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai, a collaboration with Alibaba incorporating augmented reality. 

This gigantic Starbucks store, which measures nearly 30,000 square feet, features its own roasting facility and hand-crafted coffee bars that offer coffee and alcoholic drinks not found in other Starbucks outlets. It is both a coffee museum and an amusement park where the coffee culture is celebrated with theatrical effects, and has become a ‘must-visit’ icon if one ever visits Shanghai.

Another approach would be to develop a streetscape enriched by a vibrant public art scene, including both fixed and moving exhibitions.

In this regard, it is encouraging that as part of the Orchard Road Transformation Plan, Tanglin precinct could be developed into an arts and artisanal focused area, the Somerset precinct will have youth-centered street performances and activities, and the Dhoby Ghaut area will focus on family-friendly attractions.

These developments will provide ample opportunities to engage the local artist community in placemaking efforts, ultimately creating unique experiences and “instagramable” memories for all.

2. Incorporating biophilic designs

It is notable that NParks is one of the agents driving the transformation of Orchard Road. Singapore has been gaining global accolades as a biophilic city, and Orchard Road’s transformation is a key opportunity to reinforce our biophilic ambitions.

Biophilia refers to the innate needs for human to be connected with nature and living things. Many urban environments run the risk of disconnecting people from nature, but with care and effort, the built environment can be effectively integrated with natural elements.

The benefits of biophilic designs go beyond visual aesthetics, with various studies showing that they have positive effects on our health, sense of well-being, and productivity.

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Taking reference from the success of Gardens-by-the-Bay, could we in fact reimagine and redefine Orchard Road as a vast biophilic stretch of public spaces, attracting visitors and shoppers and keeping them happy and healthy?

Retailers need not worry. A desirable by-product of visiting such a pleasant and healthy biophilic space would surely be that visitors will need to consume food and services and purchase products on offer there.

Imagine Orchard Road being as iconic and memorable as Gardens-by-the-Bay – but augmented with a wide range of services and activities.

3. Accelerating digital infrastructure and strategies

In today’s digital age, placemaking requires us to rethink how places can be created and who is involved in creating them. It requires an intradisciplinary approach that considers and integrates urban, experiences, retail, spatial usage, architecture and digital technology.

While the face of retail continues to evolve, a clear trend is that the relationship between digital and physical retailing is not about cannibalising each other, but more of how the two can work together to enhance customers’ experiences.

Increasingly, consumers are looking for personalised experiences, where the joy of discovering great products and meeting others is aided by technologies that offer product information, price comparisons and product reviews.

As retailers continue to develop their digital and physical retail strategies, the Orchard Road transformation plans present an opportunity for the creation of a digital infrastructure that augments placemaking efforts.

For retailers, this Orchard Road digital infrastructure must enable them to easily plug in and leverage a holistic experience that facilitates:

• Understanding each customer: Generate insights of the customer journey through data analytics and artificial intelligence to deliver an omnichannel marketing and communication strategy that truly meets customers’ needs.

• Provide unified digital experiences: Aid navigation and information finding throughout Orchard Road so that moving from one building to another should be as seamless and painless as possible.

• Collaboration to improve performance: Digitally-savvy customers can choose to buy a similar product from any of the sources online. As a result, one solution for the Orchard Road retailers is to collaborate to provide customers compelling reasons to be there in the first place, e.g. organising augmented reality events, such as Pokémon Go community festivals.

By creating unique destinations and experiences that incorporate biophilic design elements, paired closely with complementary digital infrastructure and strategies, Orchard Road could well take its first step towards regaining its shine as the retail crowning jewel of Singapore.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Tan Shao Yen is Group Chief Innovation Officer of CPG Corporation and President of the Board of Architects, Singapore.