Marketing

11 brands winning with memorable in-store experiences

Want to create memorable in-store experiences? Look to these 11 brands for inspiration.

Photo by istock.com

August 23, 2022 by Bobby Marhamat — CEO, Raydiant

Top brands know that providing a great in-store experience is key when it comes to brick-and-mortar success. Not only does offering great customer service, product demonstrations, in-store events, and more attract new customers and keep them coming back. Customers desire great in-store experiences, as 92% said they missed shopping in a store during the pandemic.

Additionally, businesses who focus on providing great experiences see three times the returns compared to the market average.

If you're looking for inspiration on how to create unique and engaging in-store experiences for your customers, look to these eleven brands who are making memorable, engaging, fun, and whimsical in-store experiences.

Apple

When one thinks of an engaging, branded in-store experience, the Apple store should be top-of-mind. Their design-forward stores may be minimalistic, but prioritize the ability for customers to interact with a variety of products — and studies have shown that the more a customer touches and engages with a product, the more likely they are to purchase it. Apple stores also serve as community spaces where customers can gather, take a class, watch a demo, and more.

Birchbox

An online company that offers monthly curated boxes of beauty products, Birchbox has expanded into brick-and-mortar pop-ups. Their retail concept allows customers to create their own beauty boxes from a variety of mix-and-match products, or receive personalized recommendations from the sales associates there — essentially recreating their online experience in real life.

Capital One Cafes

Wanting to ease customer stress over banking, Capital One redesigned locations to include cafes. Fueled by Peet's Coffee, customers can grab a coffee while they wait for a "cafe ambassador," or they can bank from one of the couches. "We approach the space as an extension of the home, integrating comfortable furniture, cozy nooks, and open spaces for collaborative moments," said Lia Dean, president of retail bank and premium card products, in a Wall Street Journal interview.

Farfetch

Luxury brand Farfetch has been experimenting with technological advances like virtual reality in their in-store experience. Customers can request different sizes or products right from the dressing room by using the touchscreen-enhanced mirrors. A sign-in screen located at the entrance of the store allows sales associates to view a customer's wish list and make recommendations based on past purchases.

House of Vans

Vans knows that their sneakers aren't just a product, but a culture to their customers. So they created House of Vans, a store with a concrete skating bowl, ramp, and street course for customers to use, as well as a music venue, cafe and bar, artist incubator space, and movie theater. Customers can not only look for their new favorite pair of sneakers, but interact with the community in a place that puts "creative expression at the forefront."

Lush

When you step into a Lush store, you're not only met with the fragrance of the products, but with friendly associates as well. With a focus on delivering great personalized service, Lush puts an emphasis on training associates to recognize and respond to different types of customers. Lush also gives its associates the ability to "go off script" with customers as well, or to give free samples, all in an attempt to provide a great in-store experience.

Magic Castle Hotel

Another way to create a positive experience with customers is to provide some delight and whimsy. LA's The Magic Castle Hotel, a1950s apartment building turned hotel, does just that by offering free snacks, board games, visiting magicians, and the now-famous "Popsicle Hotline." Guests simply pick up the red phone that's installed poolside, and a hotel employee will appear carrying a tray with an assortment of popsicle flavors.

Nike

The House of Innovation, Nike's flagship store in New York City, is six stories of "living retail come to life." Each floor offers customers different ways to interact with the brand, including a floor that stocks products based on hyper-local customer preferences, a Sneaker Lab where customers can witness new sneakers being made, a floor where customers can customize their own sneakers, and more. They also offer in-store app navigation, features like "Scan to Try," and in-app checkout.

Oasis

Fashion retailer Oasis is also leveraging technology in their stores to create a meaningful in-store experience. Sales associates carry tablets that allow them to better assist customers and find products they need. Oasis has also added QR codes to their products, which lead customers to a website where they can give feedback. "The interaction rate with the QR code voting system was much higher than anticipated, giving us insight into what the customers would like to see in-store later in the year," Oasis Customer Director Briony Garbett told an industry publication.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery

Starbuck innovated on its traditional stores by creating a handful of Reserve Roastery locations, designed to be an experience for true coffee lovers. These locations offer higher-quality roasts brewed in a variety of methods by baristas who talk about the product's origins and history. Said one customer on Medium, "As we explored the store, our reactions and emotions went on a journey — progressing from the initial 'wow' of the visuals, moving onto curiosity as we looked around, and into delight as we ordered and tasted."

Target

While Target is already known for a great in-store experience, they're turning to technology to make it better. Customers can use their Target app to help guide them to products in the store, and because the app taps into their account, it can offer product recommendations or promotions that they might find in the same aisle. "We want to save guests time and money by helping them find what they're looking for, discover new products, and receive offers and services that are relevant and timely," Eddie Baeb, spokesman for Target, told an industry publication.

Building great in-store experiences

Creating a great in-store experience can be done in a variety of ways, from doubling down on great customer service, to leveraging technology to make product discovery and checkout more streamlined, to offering customization and personalization, to adding some whimsy to the experience.

Whatever direction you choose to go in, creating in-store experiences is what will keep you flourishing and competitive into the future.