Brands are going beyond creating signature scents and taking a deep dive into sensory design, creating a unified and harmonious experience that works the way we do — with all senses involved. Sensory design happens everywhere and anywhere we feel. Think of the senses as an embodied biological language our brains come pre-equipped with.
This new age of store design encapsulates more than how products look on a shelf. It includes finding novel ways to make consumers “feel” the difference as soon as they enter a brand’s store and interact with their products. While most brands today execute some form of sensory design, it’s often off-putting, leading consumers and staff to experience unwanted sensory overload.
This evolving dimension of retail design impacts consumer touch points across physical, blended and digital environments. Thanks to recent advances in neuroscience, brands have a unique opportunity to develop multisensory design strategies that make a measurable difference. The evidence is there: multisensory retail design equals more sales, greater brand recognition and more media coverage. For those reasons, we are excited to announce and welcome Ari Peralta, Neuroscientist & Sensory Designer (Arigami), as the official Sensory Design Innovation Chair for the 2023 Retail Innovation Conference & Expo.
No stranger to RICE, Ari is one of the world’s leading innovators in sensory design and applied neuroscience. As a research entrepreneur and consultant, he has been ranked by Forbes as one of the top 10 wellness creatives in the world. And it’s easy to see why: he has led innovative multisensory solutions that drive well-being across a multitude of sectors, from retail to hospitality, healthcare and automotive. He has worked with brands like Kimball International, Marriott, Nissan and organizations likes NASA, and has a wealth of knowledge and contextual insights to share with attendees.
Last year, Ari received stellar feedback on his workshop at #RICE22, which outlined how brands can leverage color and memory to unlock customer experience. This year, he’ll join us once again for a 45-minute breakout session called: From Store Building to Mind Building: Leveraging the Senses to Drive Immersion. His firm Arigami incorporates evidence-based design strategies, innovative sensory delivery systems, and cross-modal research frameworks, so we are confident he will bring the perfect balance of passion, data, inspiration and enlightenment to our event.
As a chairperson for our event, Ari will help us shape our broader strategy to ensure attendees feel well, empowered and at “sensory ease” digging into all the content, activations and networking moments available June 13-15 at McCormick Place in Chicago. We all know the power of balancing education, immersion and wellness, so Ari will be collaborating with us on shaping our content and incorporating the right partners to bring sensory retail experiences to the next level.
#RICE23 attendees will have a unique opportunity to learn from and connect with Ari during the event. If you’d like to get a glimpse into his insights and experiences, watch the video below, and then register for an All-Access Pass to make sure you get access to all we create together!
