Marketing

5 trends impacting the in-store experience

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January 28, 2026

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Retailers will focus more on spatial transformation in the year ahead, using physical appeal to attract new customers and will futureproof store backdrops and signage with flexible modular systems.

Those are two of five trends impacting in-store experiences, according to a Look Company report.

Retailers are phasing out digital screens and heavy inventory to make room for experiential moments, elevated shopper comfort and modular design systems, according to a press release on the findings.

The report reveals trends based on insight from retailers across the U.S. and Canada. The Look Company works with big box and chain retailers like Walmart, Skechers, Lululemon, Mattress Firm, Home Hardware, Shoppers Drug Mart and many others.

"Consumers are craving real-world experiences and retailers are paying attention. We're seeing major retailers shift away from treating their stores solely as places to shop, and transforming them into opportunities for shoppers to escape their digital lives to interact with the real world," Gerry Price, North American CEO of The Look Company, said in the release. "This means bringing in textures, colors and shapes from the outdoors, and prioritizing shoppers' comfort. Stores that can do so will become places where shoppers want to go, rather than places they have to go, and those stores will win in 2026."

This year's five trends include:

1. Reconfiguring how they use size and space.
2. Futureproofing store backdrops and signage with flexible modular systems.
3. Personalizing their customer experience.
4. Phasing out the use of digital screens .
5. Bringing in natural elements through biomorphic designs.