The Christmas season is in full swing and with it a nostalgic holiday feeling is spreading. But even outside of the winter holidays, nostalgia proves to be a reason for buying. You can find nostalgia in the design of many product lines or in new, modern shopping experiences. And for some time now, the penchant for nostalgic shopping has been on the rise: from our country’s small towns to cosmopolitan cities like New York, Tokyo and London. Where does this phenomenon come from and more importantly, what can be achieved with it?
What is nostalgia and where does it come from?
Depending on the dictionary, the meaning of nostalgia ranges from homesickness to longing for a romantic past. In English, nostalgia has an additional meaning, according to the Oxford Dictionary: “Something done or presented to evoke nostalgic feelings”.
As such, it is also an external stimulus that evokes nostalgic feelings. And as such, it offers itself as a worthwhile theme for product appearance and store decoration. For example, think of all the brown glass bottles and jars in niche cosmetics stores or in the sustainable lines of drugstores. A good example is the stores and products of Aesop, an Australian cosmetics brand.
Every Aesop store in the world is unique and inspired by a touch of nostalgia, but with a minimalist, futuristic look. The shopping experience becomes a sensory journey where the home scent has a mineral feel rather than something chemically fruity or floral like some competitors. The characteristic scent together with the (walnut) wood furnishings and the brown glasses spontaneously evoke a nostalgic feeling and with it the deeper association that you can find quality products here. Just like in the old days in the trusted and professional pharmacy. Nostalgia clearly presents itself as an emotional and neurological messenger of quality, craftsmanship and longevity with high-quality care. All values that fit seamlessly into the needs of modern and conscious consumers. And none of it has to be stuffy. Aesop’s minimalist, futuristic design, for example, points to the brand’s innovative character.
Nostalgia is not just an external stimulus, but can also be triggered internally. This happens as a counter-reaction to our own insecurity, which is currently being triggered by the many rapid changes and crises around people. Out of the primary need to get their own lives under control, people resort to what they already know. Especially if you have warm feelings about it.
In this respect, nostalgia fulfills the need for safety and security. More and more retro shops are springing up, such as hobby shops that sell products with a retro design from the 1950s, or record shops in cozy basements with re-released LPs from the 1970s and 1980s. The toy brand Lego has also targeted adults with its retro marketing in recent years, including releasing a special 90s nostalgia line. If you look at the huge crowds and the ringing cash registers in all these stores, they have definitely struck a chord with nostalgic consumers.
Nostalgia in fashion
Fashion retailers have also used nostalgia as an attractive shopping mood. A growing number are even using it as a strategic tool by staging their entire shopping experience in a nostalgic atmosphere. Often in combination with another striking theme, as Aesop does with the combination of nostalgia and innovation. For inspiration, below you will find a selection of Dutch and international shopping streets that have a high proportion of “journeys into the past”.
Nostalgia x vintage
This combination seems to be made for each other. A study by Dutch private bank ABN Amro shows that the Dutch trade in vintage clothing is flourishing. While one in ten clothing stores has disappeared since 2020, the number of vintage shops has increased by eleven percent to 669. And although much of the trading takes place via online platforms, there are also some physical stores worth visiting. For example, Oude Liefde in the small town of Woudrichem. You can buy vintage, brocante and kitsch there. A special shop with a special story. The shop is run by Coby Frankenhuizen and her childhood sweetheart René. And in keeping with the theme, Coby scours the city and country looking for special items that used to be very popular. And in addition to these old things from a distant past, they also sell new things.
“It’s about making our visitors happy. And that happens so often here that what we sell brings back childhood memories for people,” says Coby. The experience and the products in ‘Old Love’ belong more to the category of “lived” vintage and that has its authentic charm. The powdery scent of amber cubes, which are also good against moths, in the entrance area captivates you and invites you to explore every nook and cranny with hidden treasures. This is also the strength of nostalgic boutiques, they often offer a sophisticated sensory experience that takes you on a journey through time in a casual way. And that makes a physical visit to this store a special trip.
Nostalgia x modern craftsmanship
Nappa Dori is located in London’s Seven Dials Soho district. Here, nostalgia and craftsmanship come together in a modern studio that tells the story of Indian Gautam Sinha, who pays tribute to Indian leather crafts. The clothing, leather bags and accessories convey the feeling of embarking on a luxurious oriental train journey. It’s hard to leave the store without a small memento such as a scented candle, which in turn evokes nostalgic feelings.
Nostalgia x sustainability
Starting from a nostalgic shopping experience, the hot topic of sustainability can also be received casually and positively by consumers. Filson – a US outdoor brand – proves this through its stores and website. The shopping experience is characterized by quality, craftsmanship and tradition. The brand has been in business since 1897 and primarily appeals to the indestructible Western feeling. To demonstrate that quality and durability is in their DNA, they offer a standard service where all Filson-made garments are repaired throughout their lifespan.
Nostalgia x luxury
Large international brands also find happiness in nostalgia and even build real flagships on this feeling, such as Ralph Lauren in New York. On Madison Avenue, you enter a high entrance that transports you back to a luxurious 80s society club with heavy dark wood, Persian carpets and velvet suits. With its many rooms or lounges, this is the ideal place to spend an afternoon putting together your outfit and grabbing a drink on the house. There is also an old-fashioned hospitality here, as they take a lot of time for the customers in order to fulfill their wishes with all due care.
With nostalgia for the future
Many retailers are still struggling with the major challenges on the shopping streets. Harnessing nostalgia can spark a retail renaissance, provided there is an authentic connection to consumers’ core values in execution. These include sustainability, quality and safety. In this context, it is also advisable to combine nostalgia with a theme, as in the previous examples, because this makes the brand distinctive and timeless.
Incidentally, shopping nostalgia not only refers to nostalgia as an attractive shopping mood, but also to the nostalgia of beautiful, old-fashioned shopping. Shopping nostalgia does not mean holding on to the old, but rather the appreciation of old qualities that are worth taking with you into the new age.
About Melvin van Tholl:
This is a post by Melvin van Tholl, Customer Experience Architect, at BLOODY BELIEVERS. The creative-strategic agency helps brands and companies develop groundbreaking solutions for their customer experience. Van Tholl works for companies both in the Netherlands and abroad. In this series, he takes you into the wonderful world of consumers and shows you how you can future-proof your company from a customer experience perspective.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.nl.