By: Kevin Winfield, Managing Director
For years, the retail sector has been laser focused on delivering a convenient shopping experience. While many ecommerce retailers were able to brag about next-day delivery, giant retailers such as Amazon could promise to have products on your doorstep within a matter of hours. As a result, retailers knew they had to step up in order to compete and the message was clear - make shopping faster, easier and more flexible for your customers.
As NRF: Retail’s Big Show 2025 approaches, we are facing a new narrative in which, while convenience will remain key, retailers are continuing to shift their attention to something more experiential and enhancing the in-store experience for their customers. This shift marks an overall change in retailers' strategies as they are no longer just trying to compete with the online giants but instead using their physical stores and using technology to transform them into spaces shoppers want to visit.
From Convenience to Experience
Retailers have focused on delivering an efficient and convenient shopping experience for their customers for the past decade. As a result, they would concentrate their technology investments on the tools that would allow them to offer omnichannel solutions, click & collect and next day delivery. However, consumers have come to expect convenience by default and these features have since become standard within the industry and no longer enough to differentiate brands.
While the industry looks to NRF as the curtain raiser event of the retail calendar, commentators weigh in on what game-changing technologies and solutions will be unveiled. As the sector shifts its attention to what customers need, we can expect to see more solutions that pivot away from convenience and instead those that transform the in-store experience that online shopping simply can’t replicate.
Transforming the Brick and Mortar
Each year, the Jargon Group team descends upon New York to gauge which trends and technologies will emerge as key. As a result, we can expect to see technologies that focus on providing interactive product discovery, immersive experiences, and stronger human connections.
Interactive Fitting Rooms - As Augmented reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) technologies become more sophisticated, their use within a real-life retail environment is not just a wish for the future but now a viable option for stores. Using AR mirrors and virtual try-on technology are bringing the online “try-before-you-buy” experience into physical stores. Shoppers can see how clothes, makeup or eyewear will look without physically trying them on, creating an engaging and futuristic in-store experience
Smart Shelves and Displays - Smart shelves and interactive product displays provide instant product details, like customer reviews or ingredient lists, through touchscreens or QR codes. At NRF 2024,these phygital experiences were highlighted as a key strategy for increasing engagement and product discovery between retailers and their customers. Now, one year later, we will undoubtedly see how this technology has evolved been utilised since
Seamless Payments - Combining convenience with enhancing the in-store experience, retailers are leveraging RFID-powered checkouts to improve the payment process. Unlike traditional barcode scanning, RFID-enabled items are automatically detected when placed on a checkout station allowing shoppers to pay without individually scanning each item that provides a “grab and go” payment experience similar to the “one-click buying” experience from eccomerce
The role of the brick and mortar store has been transforming in recent years as retailers have shifted their attentions from convenience and providing a better in-store experience. The narrative within the retail sector continues to shift and we can expect to see more of this at NRF 2025.
The retailers that succeed will be the ones who understand what their customers truly want from their physical stores and are able to utilise technology to transform them into spaces that shoppers want to be. The future of retail in no longer about a faster experience but a better one.
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See you there!
The Jargon Group will be attending this year’s NRF and supporting our clients during the event. If you would be interested in speaking about how your brand can elevate its PR both at the show and in 2025 and beyond then please send me a message: kevin.winfield@thejargongroup.com