When Deloitte approached us to design their retail experience centre in Bangalore, the brief was clear— they needed a space where enterprise clients could evaluate complex retail solutions without wading through theoretical presentations or fragmented slide decks. The result became a working model for how consulting capabilities translate into client-facing environments that drive actual decisions.
The centre spans three core technologies working in concert. A holobox provides multi-angle product visualization that clients can explore from any perspective. An object-recognition table maps physical items to digital journey flows, connecting tangible interactions with data-driven insights. An intelligent sales assistant handles queries and guides demonstrations through conversational interactions. Each component feeds into a unified experience path designed for a single client visit, eliminating the need for follow-up sessions or additional proof-of-concept rounds.
We built this for face-to-face meetings with procurement teams and business unit heads who need immediate validation. Every element exists to compress decision timelines and create tangible understanding. The space eliminates the gap between what consultants describe and what clients can verify in real time.
Most enterprise software evaluations drag across weeks or even months before reaching any conclusion. Clients sit through slide decks that promise transformation but offer little hands-on verification. Proofs of concept arrive later, often disconnected from initial conversations and missing critical context. By the time stakeholders reassemble for the next round, context has scattered across email threads and internal memos, forcing everyone to restart portions of the evaluation.
Decision-makers need immediacy in their evaluation process. They need to test assumptions during the conversation, not after it when memory has faded. Fragmented presentations delay alignment and extend procurement cycles unnecessarily. For Deloitte, the cost wasn't just time—it was the clarity lost between pitch and demonstration, and the friction that builds when clients cannot connect strategy to execution.
We started with decision-path mapping rather than jumping to feature lists or technology selection. We documented how Deloitte's retail clients actually evaluate solutions in practice. Which questions come first in their process. Where technical validation happens in their organizational structure. When commercial discussions begin and who needs to be involved.
Hardware choices followed those documented paths rather than emerging technologies alone. The holobox addresses product configuration questions by showing clients inventory systems, shelf layouts, and point-of-sale interfaces from multiple perspectives without waiting for mockups or custom renderings. The object-recognition table handles journey mapping by letting users place product cards on the surface and instantly see associated analytics, customer flows, and operational metrics displayed in context.
The sales assistant bridges gaps in real time as conversations develop organically. It responds to queries about integration timelines, scalability constraints, and compliance requirements without requiring consultants to pause demonstrations. Multilingual support handles regional buying teams across different markets. Configuration options appear as conversations develop, not as pre-loaded decks that may or may not address specific client needs.
Integration mattered more than individual features in the overall design approach. All three systems share state and maintain awareness of user actions. Context persists as visitors move through the space without requiring them to repeat inputs. A product explored in the holobox reappears with its analytics on the recognition table automatically. The assistant references both when discussing implementation scenarios, creating a seamless narrative thread.
Cross-functional coordination shaped the build from initial concept through final deployment. Content teams, systems engineers, and Deloitte consultants aligned on conversation flows and failure scenarios before any hardware procurement. We addressed real-time rendering requirements that could handle multiple simultaneous users. Object detection accuracy thresholds were tested against actual product samples clients would bring. Response handling for edge cases was built into the assistant's knowledge base from day one.
Maintenance planning covered content refresh cycles that match Deloitte's engagement timelines. Retail solutions evolve continuously and product catalogs change with client needs. Commercial terms update quarterly in some sectors. The centre's content management system allows non-technical staff to refresh demonstrations without engineering involvement or system downtime.
Fallback procedures exist for every interactive element in the experience flow. If the recognition table fails during a demonstration, the system continues with tablet-based alternatives that preserve the narrative. If the assistant encounters an unanticipated query beyond its knowledge base, it routes to documented resources or flags for human follow-up without breaking the client experience.
The centre compressed evaluation timelines in measurable ways across multiple client engagements. What previously required three meetings spread over weeks now happens in one focused visit. Clients test assumptions immediately and receive validation during the same session. Procurement teams validate technical requirements during initial conversations rather than scheduling separate technical reviews. Commercial alignment happens faster because stakeholders experience capabilities rather than imagine them based on descriptions alone.
For Deloitte's consulting teams, the space improved discovery accuracy in client conversations. Clients need to surface through interaction rather than just discussion and questioning. The centre also became a repeatable demonstration model that maintains consistency across different consulting teams and practice areas. Consultants train in the same environment they use for client meetings, reducing preparation time and increasing demonstration quality.
The model scales beyond consulting environments into direct enterprise sales operations. Established brands can deploy similar setups to accelerate enterprise sales cycles that typically span multiple quarters. A focused experience centre serves client demos and internal training simultaneously, maximizing return on infrastructure investment. It provides a controlled environment to prototype commercial propositions before full-scale rollout, reducing market risk and iteration costs.
Successful implementations follow three core principles that emerged from this project. First, map decision paths before selecting technology or committing to vendors. Design exhibits to match actual evaluation sequences used by procurement and business units in your target markets. Second, prioritize integration over novelty when evaluating technology options. Consistent context across touchpoints matters more than individual hardware features or impressive specifications. Third, plan content refreshes from the start as part of operational planning. Keep demonstrations aligned with current product capabilities and commercial terms that reflect actual market conditions.
Physical interactions should tie to measurable outcomes in your sales and product development processes. Every exhibit generates signals that feed back into sales conversations and product discussions. Track which features get explored most frequently, where questions cluster during demonstrations, and when stakeholders reach alignment on technical requirements. This data refines both the experience centre itself and your broader go-to-market approach.
Technology-first retail environments work when they support clear decision paths rather than showcasing capabilities for their own sake. Stakeholders reach alignment faster when they can validate assumptions during conversations instead of scheduling follow-up technical sessions. The Deloitte centre demonstrates this at scale with enterprise clients, but the approach applies equally well to pilot programs and regional deployments where budgets are more constrained.
For organizations building similar capabilities, the starting point remains consistent across industries—document how your buyers actually evaluate solutions in practice, then select a small set of integrated touchpoints that reinforce those flows without introducing unnecessary complexity. The technology should fade into the background while the business value becomes immediately apparent to everyone in the room. When you're ready to prototype a decision-focused demonstration space that delivers value in a single client visit, we can help map your buyer journeys and align exhibits to commercial outcomes with the same approach we took at Deloitte, bringing that precision to your specific market context and client needs.
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