Six Retail Stores That You Will Want To Make The Trip For

With the rise of technology and demand for convenience, the popularity of online shopping is at an all time high. It really makes us wonder about the future of in-store retail experiences.

We’ve recently been talking to The Sense Network about what makes a retail experience worth the trip, and they have come back with some pretty amazing examples of brands that are elevating the humble retail store to a must-visit, immersive experience; something you just can’t get online. Here are a few of our favourites:

Lego

“I love the LEGO stores because they usually have a tub of LEGO you can play with; you can create your own LEGO mini-me; and use interactive boards to find out which LEGO figure you are. I really love how each store is the same but there are some differences that let you know you are in a local store e.g. a tube carriage made of LEGO in the London store.” – Kate

Source: Lego

Build the Bricks Here

Glossier

“I loved visiting the Glossier flagship store in New York. The entire experience was incredible. From being greeted at the door by a girl in painter overalls to the elevator door opening up to what was my version of candy land. What was unique to me was a shopping list where you could view everything before physically trying it. There was even a cute wee section which container a mirror set up like a home bathroom. So realistic.” – Ivana

Source: Deezen

More Pink Here

Amazon Go

“I would say Amazon is definitely killing it because they have took a lot of the headache out of the retail experience while still being able to offer pretty much anything you want as a consumer. They really stood out when they started placing the stores where you can just walk in and out without going through check out because I hate standing in the checkout line personally.” – Dennis

Source: Forbes

No Queues Here

Gentle Monster

“I wear glasses, and for my last few pairs, I’ve been loyal to Gentle Monster, which I absolutely love. Their style and marketing campaigns are aggressively weird, and I embrace it. I think they only have one store in the US – in NYC – which is as much a modern art gallery and installation space as it is a retail store.” – Sam

Source: Design Boom

Enter the GM Gallery

Nike

Courtney & Alex at Sense HQ visited the Nike store while they were in NYC. “The building itself is amazing. It has an electric energy. You walk in and feel like you are in the centre of where all the Nike innovation happens. It’s super hands-on and you can see people customising their own shoes in real-time. And then you open the Nike app and everything in the store is instantly connected. You could spend hours there.” With the help of The Sense Network we helped with this project…you can read the case study here.

Source: Nike

Just Click It

MAC

MAC cosmetics has opened a store in the trendy Queens Center in NYC (October 2020). It adapts to the trends of local neighbourhood in real time, offering up-to-date sampling, promotions, products and looks based on what looks are ‘in’. It combines the latest tech with MACs knowledge & expertise. We also helped with this project, with members of the Sense Network providing invaluable insights…you can read the case study here.