16/02/2026
I’ve just come back from Saas-Fee.
Yes. THAT Saas-Fee.
The one where the video for Last Christmas by Wham! was filmed.
And I stood there thinking:
Why do grown adults travel across Europe to take a photo in front of a wooden cabin? And a ski lift. And a hotel.
It wasn’t the architecture.
Definitely not the comfort.
Absolutely not the functionality.
It was the feeling.
The memories.
And the cultural reference.
That’s what I — and many others — associate with that place.
Not wood and snow.
But emotional meaning.
That cabin is a reminder of something fundamental — and incredibly important:
Places that are remembered are places designed with a clear emotional identity.
• A distinct aesthetic direction that matches your customer’s aesthetic
• A recognisable reference
• A feeling — a vibe — you can step into and truly sense
• Something worth sharing
That doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s deliberate work.
And it has very little to do with products, pricing or placement — the things many retailers still focus on when trying to create loyalty.
Ask yourself:
If my shop disappeared tomorrow — would anyone miss it? And why?
Would anyone, in 20 years, travel to take a photo with it as a backdrop?
If the answer is no, it’s not because retail is dead.
It’s because the emotional relevance isn’t clear enough.
Shops aren’t meant to be for everyone.
They’re meant to be something very specific, for someone.
When you get that right, you don’t just sell products.
You create connection.
You build loyalty.
