Signals & Stats : Daily Signals

Emotional journey

London – Shop by mood at Department Store for the Mind, a retail experience with empathy at its heart.

Products include branded notebooks, household items and jewellery designed for different emotional states
The Old Street pop-up will open on 15 December to complement the online store

Department Store for the Mind

Department Store for the Mind is a retail philosophy born out of founder Sophie Howarth’s work on developing emotional intelligence at The School of Life.

Speaking to LS:N Global, Howarth explained how customers’ emotional needs are often obfuscated by the bottom line of business. As an online space, Department Store for the Mind puts these needs first to drive consumer engagement with the brand.

Customers can shop the site according to their mood by choosing from a selection of pictograms that visualise various states of mind as pieces of thread, from the loose and free-flowing ‘mellow’ to the tightly wound ‘anxious’. A list of products is curated to suit each mood, such as marbles for a ‘playful’ soul, or a simple reminders sticker kit to aid a ‘muddled’ mind. This self-reflective shopping experience extends to become an exercise in empathy when buying gifts for others.

The Big Picture

Digital and urban culture has taught us to prioritise efficiency and speed, but has also limited the emotional impact brands can have on consumer’s lives. Find out more in our Revelation Brands macrotrend.