The in-store experience: how physical retail Is evolving in an omnichannel world
Bricks and mortar have taken a step back to ecommerce in recent years. Digitally-native companies have revolutionised retail by providing highly curated and well-designed customer experiences, rendering traditional brick-and-mortar store strategies seemingly obsolete. However, the physical retail omnichannel experience is emerging as the new frontier for innovative brands.
Ecommerce dominated the UK market in 2019-2020 during the pandemic while brick & mortar stores fell behind.
Companies were forced to reimagine how consumers interact with their brands — and create bold, exclusive, social-first customer experiences that drive online sales. This shift sparked a fundamental rethinking of the physical retail omnichannel experience.
The Evolution of Physical Retail in an Omnichannel World
However, physical brick and mortar stores aren't as outdated as some may believe. Forward-thinking brands are now building store-based experiences as an extension of their online presence, community, and existing reputation. These physical stores are more of an accompaniment to the online microcosm rather than standalone shopping destinations.
Stores of the future will embody the physical retail omnichannel experience by fusing the physical and digital spheres in seamless, innovative ways. This integration creates opportunities for brands to engage customers across multiple touchpoints while maintaining a consistent brand experience.
Case Study: Glossier's Approach to Physical Retail
Glossier demonstrated this concept when they opened pop-up stores in London in 2019, ensuring their physical space was aesthetically pleasing for Instagram feeds and designed to spark conversation between consumers by including strategically placed mirrors and seating.
Glossier's SVP explained that as a digital-first company, their physical retail omnichannel experience provides the freedom to experiment with retail in ways that companies closely tied to traditional brick and mortar cannot. This approach exemplifies how digital-native brands can leverage physical spaces as extensions of their online presence.
Why Physical Retail Still Matters
Brick and mortar store owners should not shut up shop and rush to the world of ecommerce just yet. They should look at their physical store as a crucial component of the physical retail omnichannel experience they provide.
The future of commerce is connected.
Retail stores provide consumers with tangible reinforcement of why they shop with brands. They offer opportunities to try on clothes and order online at a later date or create selfie moments that associate customers with the brand and its trends. Retail stores are now integral parts of the physical retail omnichannel experience.
The statistics support this evolution:
- 53% of shoppers said they are likely to look at products in-store and order later online
- 54% of customers research products online before purchasing through a retail store
The Shifting Role of Physical Stores
The paradigm shift has begun with stores existing to complement the online store, which is typically more accessible and easier to navigate. Physical spaces now create experiences and positive reinforcement of a brand's identity through pop-up stores, mini-events, and creative takeovers of public spaces.
The physical retail omnichannel experience is about creating meaningful interactions rather than simply facilitating transactions. It's about building brand affinity through immersive environments that digital interfaces alone cannot provide.
Showrooming: The New Retail Strategy
In the US, Bonobos, a men's ecommerce store, has dubbed their brick and mortar locations as 'guide shops.' This concept bridges their online brand into the physical world by offering appointments within a physical store to try on items, place orders online while in-store, and have products sent directly to customers' doors.
Industry data shows that 46% of brands have said they will be investing in 'showrooming,' which provides space to experience products and absorb brand culture without requiring immediate purchase. This approach represents a fundamental shift in how brands conceptualise the physical retail omnichannel experience.
The Future of In-Store Experiences
Essentially, stores will need to be more than stock rooms, as consumers increasingly turn to online channels for simple, no-frills shopping. Physical retail spaces will exist primarily to create unique experiential environments where consumers can connect with brands in meaningful ways.
The physical retail omnichannel experience of tomorrow will blur the lines between digital and physical, creating seamless journeys that allow customers to engage with brands on their own terms, through whichever channels they prefer, at any given moment.
Brands that successfully implement this strategy will not only survive the digital transformation but thrive by offering something that purely online experiences cannot: tangible, sensory, and social engagement with products and brand values.