{"id":4269705,"date":"2021-04-21T01:08:22","date_gmt":"2021-04-20T23:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/insight\/the-future-of-multi-experience-commerce\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T13:42:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T11:42:48","slug":"the-future-of-multi-experience-commerce","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.deptagency.com\/en-au\/insight\/the-future-of-multi-experience-commerce\/","title":{"rendered":"The future of multi-experience commerce"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\n\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBack to all articles\t\t<\/span>\n\t\n<\/button>\n\t\tThe future of multi-experience commerce\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\n\t<\/div>
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\n\t\tAlexandra Moorhouse\t\t
\n\t\tMarketing Director, UK&I\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t21 April 2021\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n\t\tThe evolution of consumer behaviour is not a fixed timeline; it changes according to social movements and cultural shifts. Technology has had a tremendous impact on advancing consumer expectations by literally placing the power in their hands, while adding pressure on businesses to adapt operations and reinvent strategies to keep up with emerging demands.\t<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tThe global pandemic has reset the playing field, accelerating digital innovation in a way that puts brands back in the driver seat. The era of adapting to consumer needs and finding solutions to rising challenges has passed. Leading brands are predicting new behaviour and enabling the change through advancements in technology.\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tTo continue to thrive in the new reality, businesses must make bold decisions and embrace how dynamic commerce has become. This future of commerce is all about creating new and unexpected ways for customers to interact with brands across both digital platforms and physical destinations.\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tThe retail revolution\t<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\t\u201cIf the pandemic has proven one thing in retail, it\u2019s how powerful an innovative culture is<\/em>,\u201d said Jonathan Whiteside, Principal Technology Consultant at\u00a0DEPT\u00ae<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cBrands that have collapsed during the pandemic are rooted in traditional ways of retailing and aren\u2019t flexible to change.<\/em>\u201d For example,\u00a0Phillip Green,<\/a>\u00a0chairman of the retail company Arcadia Group and owner of Topshop, made a public point of rejecting smartphone culture and continuing to use an analogue mobile. This type of resistance at the top-level trickles down throughout the company. In February, Asos acquired Topshop and three other Arcadia Group brands, but not the shops. It was a similar story with Boohoo taking over retail stalwarts Debenhams, Karen Millen, Dorothy Perkins, Burton and Wallis to live exclusively online. While the strategic decision to strengthen their digital platforms with these shopping centre anchors may have been controversial at the time, it\u2019s helped to expedite the next phase of retail.\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tRecent changes on the high street aren\u2019t an indication that legacy brands will continue to be swooped up by digital-native companies, but it does demonstrate how critical it is for these companies to continuously innovate to retain their market position. \u201cBusiness culture and open-mindedness are key factors in maintaining a competitive advantage. John Lewis, for example, is not only one of Britain\u2019s longest-standing department stores, but it\u2019s also the largest employee-owned business in the UK. When The John Lewis Partnership was created it was an unconventional way of putting people first, and involving the workforce in key decision-making. This mindset of continuously evolving the business model just happens to transfer really well into technological transformation,<\/em>\u201d Whiteside said.\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tAn experiential future\t<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tHigh street retail is evolving from a place people primarily went shopping into an experiential destination. Nowadays, almost every purchase is started online. And, even though shoppers are accustomed to using digital channels and many prefer purchasing through them, they find it lacks experience. This sentiment nods to the need for a physical brand presence for consumers to see, touch and engage with products; not necessarily to buy or seek assistance. Adding an experiential human component within the brand ecosystem resonates with a wider demographic and builds loyalty.\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tWith the information we have now, it\u2019s easy to understand how missed opportunities led to the collapse of many businesses, including Toys R Us, explains Whiteside: \u201cOnce at the centre of the industry for child\u2019s play, the brand failed to implement digital channels and relied heavily on its storefront locations. Eventually, a trip to the shop alone was no longer enough for a fun day out. There was no hands-on experience to draw kids in, like what you get in a Hamleys or a Lego store. If they did more to keep customers happy, been less functional and more on-trend, their fate may have been different. The demise of Toys R Us was not inevitable, they just weren\u2019t dynamic enough. Perhaps if they utilised their real estate for multi-sensory play centres, and invested in social media and e-commerce they would still be leading today.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tA transformative future for the high street\t<\/h2><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tTesla is a game-changer for car showrooms. They\u2019re a place to experience the vehicles rather than buy them, and if you\u2019ve indicated in the store that you\u2019re interested in purchasing a vehicle, you\u2019ll receive details via email about how to order it online. \u201cTesla has reinvented how an automaker should sell its vehicles, and is rewriting the industry\u2019s negative history associated with price haggling, pushy salespeople and ignorant consumer profiling,<\/em>\u201d said Whiteside. \u201cThe only way for brands to take inherited biases out of the customer experience is to remove humans in some cases, and make every stage objective, providing the same brand experience for everyone.<\/em>\u201d Tesla\u2019s approach to using data to educate and excite customers, rather than a generic sales strategy, is well known for converting consumers into buyers and brand advocates.\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tBricks and mortar retail stores are expected to follow suit, giving a new reason for consumers to visit. Nike is testing a new experiential store format in China called Nike Rise that serves as a hub for sports enthusiasts, with in-store events and new app features. Nike hopes the initiative will boost its direct-to-consumer sales with increased foot traffic and increased customer insights via the app.\u00a0\t<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\t