MINI recently opened a 40-square-meter boutique store in Shanghai. However, it does NOT sell cars.
111 kinds of "limited edition" that customers adore but can hardly find, are put on the shelves for the first time. However, each person can only choose up to 3 pieces.
MINI boasts its uninterrupted “marathon” opening hours, but only for 60 hours, after which, the store is gone.
A store that only opens for 60 hours, 111 kinds that are "sold in a blink of an eye", how does it look and feel?
In-car pet seats, retro parking plates, city illustration posters, canvas bags, magazines, mobile phone cases... and much more…
\ 01 MINI + PRONOUNCE /
Bring Your Pet on the Ride
Pet "shock-protection" boxes, dog collars, chest harness straps, hammock blanket for bigger dogs, dirt-proof mats, are they designed for pets, or rather, the psyche of pet owners? ;)
\ 02 MINI + Mr. Slowboy /
Mr. Slowboy is an illustrator living in London, UK. “A car to me is the last accessory of a complete style match.”
The MINI Clubman “Welcome Light” Series is to die for!
\ 03 MINI + BENWU Studio /
Creative Use of Space
\ 04 MINI + STAFFONLY /
Designed for City Travelers
When you open the zipper and hang the travel bag vertically behind the headrest, it becomes a storage hanger; pull the zipper and it turns to a duffle bag.
The wool blanket is custom made. The main pattern is the shape of the Monte Carlo car race that MINI won in 1964. The race track and MINI's most iconic headlights are combined and abstracted to create a geometric shape. At both ends of the blanket, the MINI logo and the champion car lucky number 37 are incorporated.
\ 05 MINI + LABLEHOOP /
Have You Considered How to Throw away Garbage in A Car?
Q & A with MINI China Marketing
As a car brand, how did you come up with the “SHOPHOUSE” idea?
A great retail experience is a very effective way to convey the brand message. From our previous trials, such as a museum at the MINI 4S shop*, a “weekend travel grocery store” with Airbnb, we have discovered that a small, design-oriented retail space can resonate and engage with customers.
So we decided to do an offline "SHOPHOUSE" for MINI’s 60th anniversary. Although the space of SHOPHOUSE is small, we have really spent a lot of efforts, from painting walls, arranging furniture to looking for eye-candy shopping assistants, haha.
*In China, authorized car dealerships are called 4S car shops. The 4S represents Sale, Spare-part, Service and Survey.
How did you choose the designers/artists to work with?
We’ve known the collaborating designers for many years. People who work with MINI must meet two requirements at the same time: one is to have their own uniqueness in terms of creativity; the other is hard working.
MINI has done travel books and magazines. What is the driving passion behind all of this?
The reason why MINI continues to introduce these paper publications is that we think books and magazines are the “every day needs” of the creative class.
Who are the MINI owners?
We have been trying to sum up the "commonalities of MINI owners" internally, it is difficult to generalize. If we have to name one commonality, it might be "brave and good at pleasing one’s inner self".
Because MINI is not a cost-effective choice, people who buy MINI, a big part of the money is spent on design and some subjective feelings, "I like" is the biggest reason for their choice of this car.
This group of people, in many ways, have a desire to express, and what they want to express is valuable, so the MINI owner magazine actually acts as a "catalyst", allowing the owners to use their creativity to express freely and genuinely. This affects all people, even outside the group, and inspires more young people. This in itself is a value prop of MINI.
Grocery stores, magazines, nomadic hotels, apartments sharing, etc.... WHY does a car brand do so many "strange" and interesting projects?
Because MINI is a fun car, haha. Let's just say, MINI owners are a group of people who are willing to pay for the “feeling”, whether it is a sense of design, a culture behind it, or this unique group of car owners themselves. All content and activities are built bit by bit through constant and long-lasting interests and quality.
There are not many brands who can handle such a SHOPHOUSE, because you can’t get so many things all at once. It is time testing.
MINI uses 60 hours of opening hours to sell 60 years of absolute fun. What’s your take on this?
About VOYO Brand Management & Consulting
VOYO began life in Toronto, Canada in 2016, we are design and innovation driven marketers and business strategists helping organizations grow into more sophisticated brands both in Canada and China. whether you are a small business who cannot afford a full-blown marketing department or a big organization who needs extra help.
Our service lines include 1) marketing services in Canada; 2) Unlocking China; 3) Design Thinking Workshops.