1. Retailers Should Treat Their Stores Like a Home
Unique retail experiences are still very important to customers and reward retailers who provide them. Welcoming customers into a warm and inviting space, not unlike your home, in which products aren’t pushed on you will be very effective.
2. Convenience Will Be Key
Push button product, services, payment and delivery will be come more and more prevalent. Examples of this are, Amazon Dash Buttons or talking to Siri or Alexa to reorder specific products at home; Instacart to easily order grocery services for home/office delivery; UberEats, Postmates, and others to order a meal with the touch of a button.
3. Brick-and-Mortar Stores Will Become More Integrated
With the benefit of the customer at heart, the physical store will continue to learn how to truly incorporate technology to create a connected store. Store Associates will have information about the customer and products at their fingertips to improve the experience.
4. Niche Retailers Will Rise
Niche retailers are on the rise, for both new brands and existing brands. The result is smaller store footprints and personalized service with knowledgeable sales associates. This will satisfy the demands from consumers who want a unique and customized service.
- Brick And Mortar Drives Customer Experience
Driving the customer experience, brick-and-mortar stores will remain relevant in 2017. The larger, more established stores will create a shop-within-a-shop to leverage niche markets and strategies. This trend also relates to emerging and improved technologies: fitting rooms, product details and sizing, social media, and mobile channels.
