The Rise of Experiential Retail: How Retailers are Creating Memorable In-Store Experiences

The in-store experience is crucial for businesses to build customer loyalty and increase sales. While social media and advertising are important, creating a memorable shopping environment that engages customers on sensory and emotional levels can make a lasting impression. An omnichannel retail experience that combines the digital and physical worlds can help connect with customers on multiple levels.

Many of the world’s leading brands have strengthened their customer loyalty and boosted sales by improving the physical in-store experience, and Mood Media can make it easy. Ulta Beauty and Glossier are two examples of beauty brands that have revamped their in-store experiences. Ulta Beauty rearranged the layout of their stores to create a footprint that put less emphasis on the individual products and more on the story of each customer’s individual beauty journey.

Through the use of their GlamLab app, customers can explore the store through a personalized shopping experience that fuses the digital shopping elements of their app with face-to-face consultations and conversations with Ulta Beauty experts. According to Paul Loux, the Vice President of Store Design and Experience at Ulta Beauty, the physical elements of the store play a major role in improving how the customer experiences their trip to Ulta.

Glossier, on the other hand, started as an online-only retailer but began experimenting with limited-time pop-up locations in select cities. They soon discovered that the in-person shopping experience made a major impact not only on their sales but also on their social media performance. Glossier saw a rise in social media likes and shares after the openings of their physical stores, creating a greater awareness of the brand, as well as self-created brand ambassadors. They have capitalized on the value of the unique in-person experience and now further build the connection to customers in their new stores. In order to capture a local feeling, the theme of each location reflects the character and personality of the area.

Creating a memorable in-store experience takes a full combination of exciting visuals, sounds, and scents to build a sense of atmosphere and emotion that resonates with customers. Mood Media offers a range of in-store media solutions like digital signage and scent diffusers that can engage the shoppers’ senses and create emotional connections that stay with the customer long after they leave the store. As customers return to brick-and-mortar stores, there is a growing demand for the ability to touch and feel the products before making a purchasing decision. Combining the convenience of online shopping with the physical aspects of in-person shopping can help create an unforgettable shopping environment that builds customer loyalty and boosts sales.