The Centerpiece Every Retail Project Needs

Experiential water features are becoming a staple feature at quality retail projects. In the hunt to find offline amenities that will drive consumer traffic and retail activity, retail owners are finding success in experiential water features. Design and Construction firm Outside the Lines has seen an increase in the requests for experiential water features and recently designed the first entertainment show fountain in the state of Mississippi. We sat down with J. Wickham Zimmerman, CEO of the firm, to talk about the growing trend, how it helps drive retail activity and what developers interested in water features need to know.

GlobeSt.com: What are experiential water features, and how do they benefit a retail project?

Wickham Zimmerman: In retail, it’s essential to always be working on “the next big thing.” Consumer tastes change quickly, and retail developers and tenants alike must be extremely forward-looking in order to ensure that retail destinations are poised to attract and retain shoppers for years to come. Experiential water features are a proven strategy to meet this objective. While fountains in shopping centers are not a new concept, the level of interactivity and entertainment value that is emerging in today’s water features is a trend worth watching.