In Short:

• Customers are seeking an experience-led journey. How can your brand meet evolving customer expectations?
• Engaging customers in the experience is key, but not any just a shop and buy experience, an experience that speaks to process, ingredients, craft, etc. 
• Yesterday’s customer isn’t today’s customer, it’s time for a much more fluid business model to meet changing consumer demands, omnichannel marketing matters, a lot. 
• Macallen, Single Malt Scotch Whiskey gets it right, selling the brand story not the product

Let Me Touch It, Let Me Smell It, Then I’ll Buy It: 

I recently traveled from NYC to Paris and there was no shortage of designer goods on display throughout the JFK Departure Terminal. 

I had dollars to spend, but I wasn’t engaged enough to spend them. 

Why? Simply put, because none of the brands were telling stories that engaged me.  The bags, shoes, scarfs, watches, and jewelry were all beautiful, but I didn’t feel connected to them.  It all felt like a rather generic shop / buy experience. 

Cue – Single Malt Scotch Whisky (and just a side note on travel days it’s totally acceptable to drink at any time during the day). 

I was immediately captivated by the bold colors and large format visuals as I walked past the Macallan Shop.  Bold imagery lined the walls, telling interesting stories of brand heritage, craft, and various collections.  

I was hooked and I immediately wanted to know more, I found myself so engaged that I paused to remind myself not to miss an interactive experience or wall installation. 

A sensory bar prompted me to engage my my palette with the elevated flavor profiles of the featured bottle on display.  The sensory bar was paired with a digital experience that further peaked my interest and curiosity about the brand.  No matter where you turned the experience flowed seamlessly, coming full circle with the sales associate offering me a tasting. 

Whether you drink or not, or like whiskey or not, this article is about delivering brand value through an immersive customer experience, and there is no denying that Macallan delivered in that. 

Retail-Disruption is here to stay.  COVID saw consumers trading in their physical carts for digital ones and now that consumers are engaging more with physical retail, their experience expectation has continued to consistently shift. 

Small Brands and Luxury Retailers alike are facing the same questions:

How is consumer behavior changing?  How are brands keeping customers immersed in retail experiences?  How is value driving customer expectation? 

For digital brands, how can you translate your brand experience to creative pop-up collaborations that offer your customers an opportunity to engage beyond a display? 

For heritage and luxury brands, leaning into omnichannel marketing, creating a seamless customer experience that delivers brand value is key for conversion. 

The bar is high and customers want elevated and interactive retail experiences; engaged customers convert, even in the most saturated markets.

Ava Ghiotti is a NYC based Brand Consultant helping small product brands strategically approach creative pitching + the ever-changing landscape of retail.