What is experiential retail?
Source: realityi
Experiential retail is basically a strategy to create immersive and engaging experiences for customers instead of just selling products. Today’s customers not only want to purchase things, they want to experience the process in a way that entertains and educates them. Providing them with what they expect from brands gets them emotionally invested in your services or products. And experiential retail does exactly that, giving retailers more engagement, foot traffic, and sales.
How is experiential retail changing In-store shopping experiences?
Source: Kopius
As more and more retailers are embracing experiential retail techniques, we are witnessing a great shift in how products are marketed and purchased. You probably have seen sellers offering immersive and hands-on moments on sales floors through virtual exhibits, workshops, and interactive kiosks. These unique experiences cannot be replicated online, and that encourages customers to visit the store and experience them in person.
According to a retail survey, more than half of retail space in stores will be devoted to experiences by 2025, marking the experience tipping point in the retail industry. This shows how the market of experiential retail is ripe and retail sellers should level up their marketing techniques to keep up with the demands of tech-driven younger generations.
Applications and Use Cases of experiential retail in e-commerce
Interactive In-store experiences with AR and VR
When retail spaces are integrated with immersive explorations, buyers get the opportunity to interact with products in an imaginative world, but in a highly realistic manner. This gives them a very precise and lifelike view of the product. Moreover, using augmented reality mirrors helps them try on every kind of fashion product in their real-life reflections. This turns their store visit into an endeavor filled with fun interactions and explorations.
Viktor&Rolf came up with the ‘’Flowerbomb campaign’’ to offer an enticing in-store try-on experience. Customers could virtually try on dresses and gowns adorned with fairy wings and other floral embellishments. This interactive experience blended contemporary visuals with the flowery scent of the Flowerbomb fragrance. This not only showcased Viktor&Rolf’s unique creations but also highlighted the brand’s artistic spirit.
Gamification of retail spaces with immersive elements
Gamification of shopping content with interesting activities changes the vibe of the whole retail space. Customers love to engage with immersive interactions and gamify their shopping process. Moreover, stores can introduce reward programs, involving cash-back prizes and redeemable points, for their products. This not only engages customers but also motivates sales.
Jordan has introduced an extravagant launch event at its first ‘’World of Flight’’ store in the Beijing Sanlitun area. Its aim was to celebrate the basketball culture in a way like never before. The store is more than 1000 square meters in size and very thoughtfully blends the history of the brand with local Chinese art. It was full of immersive experiences, like the use of augmentation to guide visitors to the store and the appearance of virtual basketballs and sneakers in the air. Moreover, customers could try on Jordan clothing and snap creative shots using amusing AR filters.
Sensitization of sales floor and public spaces
The main focus of experiential retail is to appeal to customer’s senses of sight, sound, touch, and smell. They utilize voiceovers to convey information about items and promotions, soothing music to enhance the shopping experience, and fragrances to evoke particular feelings, with the use of immersive technologies. Interactive displays also make it easier for buyers to picture how things will feel or appear, which deepens their bond with the brand and improves their shopping experience.
Ellemen organized a memorable Livehouse Impromptu night at Shanghai’s famous Sun Ke Villa on May 25, 2024. The event displayed Ulysse Nardin’s Freak watch line by using the cutting-edge technology of Apple Vision Pro. Attendees were able to zoom in and rotate the 3D models to check out fine details of timepieces, using their hand gestures. The event marked a huge success for the watch industry. The immersive exploration of watches amazed the guests and showed the latest tech advancements dynamically.
Experiential marketing campaigns
Experiential marketing campaigns let customers immerse themselves in interactive explorations. A fusion of digital elements with the tactile experience of physical retailing takes their shopping to a new dimension. Such experiential marketing campaigns turn visitors into buyers and garner high engagement and sales rates for businesses.
Interactive smart screens have made shopping at Livat Shanghai smarter and more enjoyable. You can chat with the Livat AI to catch instant brand updates and news about mall events. Simply scanning your desired product in front of the screen will provide you with all the information that you need to know. This way, you do not need to exhaust yourself waiting through long lines at stores or look to others for help. The interactive screens make everything, from searching to analyzing, a breeze.
Benefits of experiential retail in digital marketing
Sensory engagement with visual and auditory elements
Nowadays, the desire to discover and the thrill of discovering and trying something new are what motivate people to shop in stores rather than need. Customers develop deeper emotional bonds with a company and its offerings when they enjoy sensory-engaging in-store encounters. This means they are an excellent method to develop strong emotional bonds with customers by providing individualized and interesting experiences.
A curated customer experience
Experiential retail is a great example of how a store can become more of an experience. When customers are able to visualize the product in perspective, they get a better idea of their usage in real life. Brands can curate personalized user experiences by implementing AI algorithms and offering virtual interactions in immersive environments. This takes the shopping experience of customers to a new level and helps brands achieve their retail goals easily.
Impactful storytelling and marketing
By using experiential retail techniques, retail sellers can double the effect of their marketing efforts. They can share the story behind their brand and products in a way that users can interact with. This connects them with their audience on an emotional level. Getting customer satisfaction improves the marketing outcomes and boosts revenues by great margins.
Conclusion
Experiential retail is a futuristic way for businesses of today to engage with customers. Brands that satisfy their customers are the ones that foster loyalty and advocacy. Forward-thinking retailers are using digital experiences in physical retail spaces to create enticing experiences that leave a long-lasting impact on the minds of users.
Do you want to boost your brand presence and increase awareness by using immersive interactions? Do not go anywhere else. Kivisense is a leading company in this space and our pioneering AR, VR, and AI-based marketing solutions are the ultimate way to produce tangible outcomes. Get in touch with Kivisense and explore futuristic marketing techniques to achieve your goals.
