Transforming Retail with Art: The Gentle Monster Experience

Amy Weng • August 6, 2024

Hi! Welcome back to our series on marketing in China. Today, we’re exploring a fascinating trend that's reshaping the retail landscape: art installations in shops.


Have you ever wondered why stores like Gentle Monster in Shanghai draw massive crowds? It’s thanks to their focus on art installations. Art and commerce have become deeply intertwined in China, creating unique retail experiences that attract and engage consumers. This growing trend of incorporating art installations into retail spaces resonates with Chinese consumers, making shopping not just an activity but an experience.


Why Art Installations Work

Gentle Monster, a South Korean eyewear brand, has taken retail to the next level with its Shanghai store called Haus Nowhere. The ground floor greets visitors with a pair of robot statues, leading them upstairs to even larger installations of two gigantic heads facing each other. These captivating displays not only showcase their products but also create an immersive experience for visitors.


This spring, the lines were 2 hours long just to get inside. Once in, visitors were greeted with visually stunning displays that had to be photographed and shared on social media, particularly on Xiaohongshu (RED). The installation of 2 very realistic human faces went viral, resulting in an explosion of user-generated content that boosted the brand's visibility and appeal.


In addition to eyewear, the store features Gentle Monster’s own café brand NUDAKE, presenting a “croissant gym” concept space. The ground floor also hosts the South Korean fragrance brand Tamburins, with a hyperreal statue of an elderly couple adding to the artistic atmosphere.


Gentle Monster dedicates the majority of square meter space to art and only around 20% to merchandising, it is clear that the brand prioritizes creating an experiential and art space. This approach aligns with the rapid post-pandemic development of social commerce, as brands become more creative in utilizing their physical retail spaces.


By creating an art experience within the shop, Gentle Monster has not only created a check-in place for visitors but also an on-brand display of the eyewear label’s arty image. The retail space provides high “emotional value” for young visitors with a need for experience and fashion.


Wrapping up, Art installations in retail spaces are not just a trend; they’re a powerful marketing tool that can transform the shopping experience and boost brand visibility. 


At Think East, we specialize in helping brands develop innovative retail strategies that resonate with Chinese consumers. Whether it's creating engaging art installations or leveraging social media for maximum impact, our team can guide you in transforming your retail space into an unforgettable experience.


As you think about your own retail strategy, consider how you can incorporate art to create engaging, shareable moments for your customers. How would you consider building art into your retail experience? Would your customers be willing to stand in line for 2 hours to see an art installation in your store?


Stay tuned for our next post, and connect with us on LinkedIn or via email—we’d love to hear your thoughts and questions.


See you next time!


Banner Image Credit: Gentle Monster (gentlemonster.com);

All photos in the gallery by Amy Weng

Kunst trifft auf Retail: Gentle Monsters Erfolgsrezept


Hi! Willkommen zurück zu unserer Serie über Marketing in China. Heute erkunden wir einen faszinierenden Trend, der den Retail neu gestaltet: Kunstinstallationen in Geschäften.


Warum sind Läden wie Gentle Monster in Shanghai so erfolgreich und können Menschenmengen anziehen? Das liegt an ihrem Marketing Fokus mit Kunstinstallationen. Kunst und Retail sind in China eng miteinander verflochten und schaffen einzigartige Einkaufserlebnisse, die Konsumenten anziehen und begeistern. Dieser wachsende Trend, Kunstinstallationen in Verkaufsräume zu integrieren, spricht die chinesischen Konsumenten an und macht das Einkaufen zu einem Erlebnis.


Warum sind Kunstinstallationen so beliebt?

Gentle Monster, eine südkoreanische Brillenmarke, hat mit ihrem Laden im Haus Nowhere in Shanghai den Retail auf die nächste Stufe gehoben. Das Erdgeschoss begrüsst die Besucher mit zwei Roboterstatuen und führt sie nach oben zu noch grösseren Installationen von zwei riesigen Köpfen, die einander gegenüberstehen. Diese faszinierenden Displays präsentieren nicht nur ihre Produkte, sondern schaffen auch ein immersives Erlebnis für die Besucher.


Diesen Frühling waren die Warteschlangen 2 Stunden lang, nur um hineinzukommen. Einmal drin, wurden die Besucher mit visuell beeindruckenden Displays begrüsst, die fotografiert und in sozialen Medien, besonders auf Xiaohongshu (RED), geteilt werden mussten. Die Installation von zwei sehr realistischen menschlichen Gesichtern ging viral und führte zu einer Explosion von nutzergenerierten Inhalten, die die Sichtbarkeit und Attraktivität der Marke steigerten.


Neben Brillen präsentiert der Laden auch Gentle Monsters eigene Café-Marke NUDAKE und ein „Croissant-Gym“-Konzept. Das Erdgeschoss präsentiert auch die südkoreanische Duftmarke Tamburins mit einer hyperrealistischen Statue eines älteren Paares, die zur künstlerischen Atmosphäre beiträgt.


Gentle Monster widmet den Grossteil der Ladenfläche der Kunst und nur etwa 20% dem Verkauf! Das zeigt, dass die Marke auf die Schaffung eines Erlebnisraums setzt. Dieser Ansatz entspricht der schnellen post-pandemischen Entwicklung des Social Commerce, da Marken kreativer werden, ihre stationären Geschäfte zu nutzen.


Durch die Schaffung eines Kunsterlebnisses im Laden hat Gentle Monster nicht nur einen Ort geschaffen, an dem Besucher einchecken, sondern auch eine markengerechte Darstellung des künstlerischen Images der Brillenmarke. Der Verkaufsraum bietet einen hohen „emotionalen Wert“ für junge Besucher, die Erlebnisse suchen.


Zusammengefasst sind Kunstinstallationen in Verkaufsräumen nicht nur ein Trend, sondern ein starkes Marketing-Tool, das das Einkaufserlebnis verwandeln und die Sichtbarkeit der Marke steigern kann.


Bei Think East helfen wir Marken, innovative Retailstrategien zu entwickeln, die bei chinesischen Konsumenten Anklang finden. Ob es darum geht, fesselnde Kunstinstallationen zu schaffen oder soziale Medien für maximale Wirkung zu nutzen, unser Team kann Sie dabei unterstützen, Ihren Verkaufsraum in ein unvergessliches Erlebnis zu verwandeln.


Wie können Sie Kunst in Ihrer eigenen Retailstrategie integrieren, um ansprechende, teilbare Momente für Ihre Kunden zu schaffen? Würden Ihre Kunden bereit sein, zwei Stunden in der Schlange zu stehen, um eine Kunstinstallation in Ihrem Geschäft zu sehen?


Bleiben Sie dran für unseren nächsten Beitrag und verbinden Sie sich mit uns auf LinkedIn oder per E-Mail – wir würden gerne Ihre Gedanken und Fragen hören.


Bis zum nächsten Mal!

Why a Swiss Premium Brand Is Going Offline in China

By Amy Weng • June 22, 2026
In 2024, I wrote about Alpine White, the Swiss oral care brand founded by Alexander and Reto Wälchli, and its early steps into China: a flagship store on Tmall Global, presence on Xiaohongshu, WeChat and Douyin, and a product registration process that was still underway. Two years on, the picture has changed. The brand, sold in China under the name 乐瑞白 (Lè Ruì Bái), now sits in some of the country's most exclusive supermarkets, at 189 RMB the most expensive toothpaste on the shelf. Behind that shift is Ma Shiyu, who leads Alpine White's APAC business. We spoke shortly after this year's China Beauty Expo. What followed was one of the most candid conversations I have had about what it actually takes to build a premium Swiss brand in China: why Alpine White moved from cross-border e-commerce into general trade and physical retail, where the surprising money sits, and what she would tell every Swiss founder before they book a booth at their first trade fair. This conversation is part of the Think East series Swiss Brands in China, spotlighting successful Swiss brands in the world's most demanding consumer market.

The Experience Is The Product

By Amy Weng • June 8, 2026
In China’s luxury market, a flagship now competes with museums, restaurants and pop culture events for the same two hours of a consumer’s afternoon. The brands winning that competition are not playing by European rules. The store has become one of the most contested ideas in luxury. In China, it now carries a workload that many European flagships still do not. It has to sell, of course. It also has to stage a world, generate traffic, travel across social media, and justify why a consumer should spend an hour there before deciding whether to spend anything at all. That shift is visible in Shanghai. Louis Vuitton opened The Louis in June 2025: a 30-meter, ship-shaped structure designed by Shohei Shigematsu of OMA, housing exhibition space, retail floors, and a café on Nanjing Road. Prada turned Rong Zhai, a restored 1918 mansion it has owned since 2011, into a permanent hospitality address with Mi Shanghai Prada Rong Zhai, its first standalone dining space in Asia, with Wong Kar Wai commissioned to design the interior. Penhaligon’s chose Shanghai for its first fragrance exhibition anywhere in the world, in April 2025. The message is consistent: China is not receiving a standard flagship strategy with local adaptations. It is being used as the testing ground for a different, grander format altogether. The timing is not accidental. Bain estimates that China’s personal luxury market fell 17–19% in 2024 and a further 3–5% in 2025, before returning to modest growth in 2026. Chinese consumers still account for approximately 23% of global luxury demand, per Bernstein. In a market like that, brands do not retreat from visibility. They rethink what visibility has to do. What The Consumer Expects Bluebell Group’s 2025 consumer research found that 96% of surveyed mainland Chinese respondents said experiential value now outweighs product ownership in how they define luxury. 46% want immersive, brand-led experiences in store, with staff actively involved in storytelling. The same study found that 92% prioritise the quality of the product over brand name, and 88% say higher prices are justified when the underlying craft is evident. The appetite for theatre is real. So is the demand for substance underneath it. What a luxury space is expected to deliver has changed accordingly. Narrative density comes first: consumers expect an entire world. Social legibility is equally non-negotiable: the space needs to circulate on Xiaohongshu or Douyin, because store traffic and digital visibility now feed each other directly. And in Asia, Bluebell found that in-store service standards are perceived as higher than elsewhere, which raises the baseline for every international brand operating there. The experiential minimum is a moving target. The New Flagships Louis Vuitton's ship is the clearest statement of the new model. The structure spans approximately 1,600 square metres. Entry is managed through the brand's My LV WeChat mini program: even free admission is controlled. The early returns suggest the model works. According to Wen Wei Po, 60% of sales at The Louis come from new clients – a statistic that directly addresses the industry's central question of whether experience-driven flagships merely entertain existing customers or actually expand the customer base. The impact extends beyond the store itself. In its first four months, the exhibition drew over 360,000 visitors, according to Shanghai government data. Daily foot traffic at The Louis has reached 20,000 on peak weekends, and the surrounding commercial district has seen a clear lift: the adjacent Xingye Taikoo Hui mall recorded a 41.9% increase in retail sales during the first nine months of 2025, while other surrounding businesses reported sales doubling. The ship has effectively become an anchor, transforming Nanjing Road into a destination where a luxury flagship now functions as a catalyst for an entire neighbourhood. Prada’s Rong Zhai shows a different register. Commissioning the iconic Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar Wai to design Mi Shanghai Prada Rong Zhai signals where Prada is locating cultural authority in China: not in European craft narrative, but in Chinese creative identity. The space weaves art, architecture, food and time into a single address. It seems quieter than The Louis, but no less deliberate. According to the Prada Group’s full‑year 2025 earnings, Asia Pacific retail sales reached $1.85 billion, an 11% increase year-on-year. This remains the most relevant proxy for Prada’s performance in Greater China, including the period when the Mi Shang Café at Rong Zhai was operational.

Switzerland, Asia and the Future of Executive Education - A Conversation with Jürgen Brücker

By Interview by Amy Weng • May 18, 2026
Jürgen Brücker, CEO of UZH Executive Education, is direct about where the industry stands: a large part of today’s executive education is no longer fit for purpose. His response is UZH Executive Education's Vision 2030, centred around three words: connect, empower, inspire . At Think East, we are interested in how leaders and institutions build stronger bridges between Europe and Asia. We spoke with Jürgen about the future of executive education, Asia’s growing role in global business, and the role Switzerland can play in an increasingly fragmented world.