Macy’s unveils narrative-driven retail experience through STORY

American department store chain Macy’s has unveiled STORY – the narrative-driven retail concept shop – in 36 stores in the US. Opening with “Colour” as its inaugural theme, STORY at Macy’s invites customers across the country to explore and experience colour through a rainbow of curated, giftable products and through a range of more than 300 fun colour-inspired events.

“The discovery-led, narrative experience of STORY gives new customers a fresh reason to visit our stores and gives the current Macy’s customer even more reason to come back again and again throughout the year,” said Jeff Gennette, chairman & CEO, Macy’s, Inc. “We’re excited about the potential for STORY and are happy to be launching Colour STORY in 36 stores.”

With themes changing every few months, STORY at Macy’s will deliver new concepts through its signature blend of unique collaborations, narrative-driven merchandising and dynamic event programming.

“The simultaneous launch of STORY at Macy’s in 36 stores across 15 states is the successful outcome of a reimagined approach to cross-functional collaboration and the work of more than 300 Macy’s colleagues who contributed to creating this new, scalable business model nationwide,” added Rachel Shechtman, founder of STORY and Macy’s brand experience officer. “I’m so proud of the work this team did and look forward to continuing the STORY journey at Macy’s.”

In the lead up to launch, more than 270 dedicated STORY managers and STORYtellers were hired and participated in “Know + Tell,” a new experiential retail training programme that immerses staff with integrated roles on everything from building fixtures to customer engagement and event production.

“The STORY at Macy’s experience feels a lot like a real-life version of scrolling through Instagram. You discover things you weren’t looking for, but are inspired by all the fun finds – the second you see it, you need it! We aspire to create that feeling with the breadth of the narrative-driven merchandise edit we are bringing to life with the launch of STORY at Macy’s across the country,” stated Shechtman.