Futurising the physical store in the omnichannel retail environment

This chapter aims to gain a better understanding of the role that the physical store plays in the current multichannel offering and the expected omnichannel evolution of the format in the near future, from an industry perspective. This chapter has two main objectives: firstly, to explore the current situation of the physical store format in terms of experience, integration with other channels, the role of technology, and consumer’ expectations; secondly, to establish relevant guidelines regarding the future evolution of the format. Interviews with industry experts enabled rich data on the topic to be collected, analysed, and presented. The work confirms that the role of the physical store so far seems to be evolving from places for transaction to places for interaction in which the different channels of the retailer come together via the technology. This challenges the traditional notions of retail format, retail place, and retail design.

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