HARMAY Beauty Store in Shanghai, China by AIM Architecture.

Peeling new-age shoppers away from the convenience of the online world and into a physical store can be a modern-day feat. This is precisely the motivation behind the arrival of Harmay, located in the Former French Concession in Shanghai, China. AIM Architecture was engaged to design the brand’s first brick and mortar store and bring tangible e-commerce shopping to their customers.

Having over one million users online at Harmay the architects questioned “…with more and more consumers moving online to do their purchasing, why would a successful e-store set up shop in the real world? What would inspire someone to leave the comfort of their sofa to buy something readily available online? When Harmay, a successful online cosmetic brand, approached us to design their very first offline store, we asked ourselves these questions.”

Reigniting the old flame between the retailer and consumer, AIM created a physical store to support Harmay’s e-platform. Bringing their customers directly behind the scenes of their online experience, the space is designed to feel like a warehouse – a storage space where shoppers can follow the online process of making a purchase in the physical space.

The ground floor displays isles of products ready for purchase, set opposite a production-line style of the sales counter that directs customers from packaging to the cashier before leading them upstairs via a steel spiral staircase. On the first floor, AIM takes the newly converted online shoppers back to their home comforts with an eclectic lounge space. Vintage handmade floor rugs and mismatching furniture create a space used for events and new product launches. The first floor is also a space where the products can be sampled.

[Images courtesy of AIM Architecture. Photography © Jerry Yin.]