We recently attended Future Stores 2017 in Seattle. Here are some of the key takeaways we took from the three days of sessions and live tours.
- Customer behavior is changing
Many of the sessions reinforced the fact that customers are changing their shopping behaviors. Sessions such as “Future of Status, Betterment and Maslow 2.0′ dove deeper into why. The session took the standard Maslow hierarchy and highlighted that people no longer worry about food / shelter and instead care more about meaningful, emotional experiences…not just purchasing stuff, but enjoying experiences.
- Delivering meaningful experiences at every touch point is essential
We heard many examples of how brands are delivering cutting edge experiences that really matter to consumers. Examples such as the Sonos flagship store in Soho which successfully conveys the essence of how Sonos changes the way you live and enjoy music in different areas of the home. We also heard about Neiman Marcus and their use of Memo Mirror technology that allows people to view different eye wear and clothes in dressing rooms and then share on social media for instant feedback.
- Retailers should find a practical roadmap to creating improvements
While we heard lots of case studies from brands on how they’re delivering great experiences, we learned that what’s missing is a practical roadmap to achieving incremental improvements. Retailers need a way to conduct a deeper dive into specific retailer challenges and to learn how technology can solve these issues today (something we at Reality address for our clients often).
It’s always inspirational to hear more about what brands are doing in the world of experiential retail!
