The future of store concepts: Let your store become a destination!

Trade plays a central role in creating vibrant and attractive cities, for both residents and visitors, as well as for businesses. How will trade look in the future? What needs need to be met, and what are the expectations for trade in general, and for stores in particular?

And what actually happens in concrete terms with the store concepts, for example, will you be able to compete with the convenience and range of online stores? The answer is that a store today is much more than just a place for purchases, it is a meeting place. So make your store concept a destination, not just a place where you can buy things, but a whole, an experience. In this way, you make sure to give the customer a compelling reason to walk through the door.

The development of technology, new buying behaviours, and a changed society, mean that the trade of the future faces a lot more challenges than before. Above all when it comes to attracting customers to physical stores, it is therefore more important than ever that a store concept is physically attractive, and preferably designed according to the customer's behavior and wishes. At the same time, it needs to offer a unique experience that you cannot get online.

Five tips to turn your store concept into an experience

1. Engage all the senses

Use lighting, music and scents to create an atmosphere where the customer feels welcome, engaged and inspired. The customer must want to go here. Even wanting to hang out in the store on a Saturday with their friends, to spend time and be inspired by trends.

2. Build relationships

Invest in relationship-building activities, and make sure to create new and relevant reasons for consumers to visit the physical store. It can be anything from member benefits, product tests, or Pop Up concepts, to events such as lectures and workshops in the store. Activities that create an atmosphere of community and are entertaining at the same time.

3. Protect the personal

Personal meetings will never go out of date. Therefore, cherish personal advice and knowledge. Educate and teach the customer how to use your products in the best way through, for example, product demonstrations. Invaluable knowledge that you can best get on site from knowledgeable staff, in the physical store.

4. Use technology

Technological innovations, omnichannel integrations and AI-based analysis tools are dominant trends right now. Technology that enhances the in-store experience can be a powerful tool for creating cross-platform experiences. The value of the physical store increases significantly in combination with online shopping, and contributes to a better shopping experience for the customer.

5. Reward the loyal customer

Encourage the customer to return to the store. Offer loyal customers rewards and special offers to build rapport and keep the customer returning to the store. It's about creating a feeling of being part of an exclusive community, a context that also provides benefits.

The store concept as a meeting place

The store's future goal will be to cultivate and foster relationships with consumers. Humans are basically social and like to meet and spend time with like-minded people who have common interests. Where you can also be part of a context. In recent years, we have seen an increase in brands transforming their store concepts into places where socializing is as important as shopping. Take the gaming enthusiasts for example, Webbhallen was among the first to introduce cafes and meeting places in its stores for its customers. Global brands such as NIKE are also following this trend by creating store concepts that focus on lifestyle as much as actually selling products. You simply want to create a sense of community, a kind of "community".

Technical possibilities with Omnichannel

Combining online shopping and physical stores in a so-called "omnichannel strategy" is a way to keep up with customers' increased demands for accessibility. The customer wants their goods as quickly as possible but usually does not want to pay extra for it. More and more stores are moving towards combining online trading and a physical store where the store functions as a pick-up and return location. This gives the customer flexibility while driving traffic to the physical store. It will also become more common with Showrooms where customers can try, or squeeze and feel products in a physical store, and then buy them online. By integrating several channels in a coherent way, the customer can be given greater freedom of choice, which leads to an improved shopping experience.

The store as a marketing channel

The physical store also has significant opportunities to expose its store concept in its digital channels. When the physical store is closed, it can still serve as a venue for live streaming. By arranging digital events, such as live streams in social media, it opens up opportunities to show the store's concept online. This can create interest and attract people to visit the store on later occasions. The concept of 'dark stores' is found in the restaurant industry and grocery retail and indicates a new type of store that does not focus on attracting physical visitors, but rather is designed to support and streamline the digital sales channel.

The store concept of the future

A memorable and personalized shopping experience is at the heart of today's retail landscape. It is no longer enough just to have a well-thought-out store concept and stylish store interior. Today, your store concept needs to be transformed into a destination in itself, and not just a place where customers buy goods. In addition to the actual purchases, memories and experiences are now also created. By integrating the important online trade, even greater flexibility is created for the customer. It not only enables easier shopping, but also increases the customer's access to goods and services. Anytime, anywhere. The integrated experience becomes the key to meeting and exceeding customer expectations, thereby creating loyalty and long-term success

We at Norco Inredning are happy to help you with store concepts and store interior design. We have experience in designing concepts and interior design beyond the ordinary. For example, for CCM – which supplies the world's top hockey players with gear – we created a state-of-the-art shopping experience. It became not just a shop, but a place where customers could experience a new standard. Here, the opportunity was offered to book personal meetings or visits to create custom orders for skates, sticks, helmets and goalie equipment.

Do you also want to keep up to date with new trends and create tailor-made store concepts that become meeting places? Contact us at Norco Inredning here or read more about store interior trends.