DigitaLife: The Converging Consumer Experience, and the Future of Retail
Written by Kenneth Forthergill
As our digital personalities increasingly resemble our physical ones, our desire for digital integration in our traditional interactions is ever-growing. With more time spend online during COVID-19, our digital and physical selves have only become more intertwined.
So, it got us thinking: Which brands are leading the convergence of digital and physical? When the pandemic ends, what will brands do to innovate and enhance the in-store consumer experience through digital integration?
Let’s take a look at a few key thought-leaders:
Nike’s House of Innovation
Nike’s third House of Innovation, located in Paris, offers an immersive and digitally-integrated consumer journey. Some features include:
Mission Control: a wall-to-wall installation that connects shoppers to the global and local community of sport, and the latest activations at other Nike House of Innovation shops.
Bra Fit: Through proprietary machine learning, female consumers are able to input their bra size in-store into the Nike Fit digital tool and receive a fit recommendation for any Nike bra. Plus, they’re able to see what other similarly sized female shoppers have purchased in the past.
App Integration: The Nike House of Innovation is fully integrated with the Nike+ app. With “Shop The Look”, users can scan a code on an in-store mannequin, browse every item that the mannequin is dressed in, check to see if specific sizes are available in-store and then request for an employee to send the items to a fitting room. Items can then be purchased immediately through Instant Checkout.
“The future of brick-and-mortar retail counts on engaging, personal shopping experiences that respond as quickly — and as personally — as its digital counterpart.”
Burberry’s Social Retail Store
In July 2020, Burberry opened their first social retail store in Schenzen, China. The store encourages shoppers to interact with Burberry products both in-person, and on social media.
In partnership with Tencent, users can use WeChat to bring the store to life through exclusive content and personalized experiences, like in-store appointment bookings, choosing items to try on, contacting customer service, and learning about new products.
Upon entering the store, customers encounter a living sculpture, inspired by the mirrored runway from the Burberry Autumn/Winter 2020 runway show. The sculpture reflects the viewer’s shape and responds to body movement, creating a unique moment that can be captured and shared with friends.
Though these might seem farfetched, they’re prime examples of how brands are innovating- evolving their in-store, physical footprint to suit the ever-growing digital habits of today’s consumer. By continually exploring ways to combine the best of both worlds, digital and analogue, we can create fresh, innovative, out-of-the-box experiences that consumers are seeking. Safe to say we’ve got something to look forward to when the shops open back up.