Image source: Tim Nichols (2014) –
“Experiential Marketing on The High Street” (ExactDrive™).
The growth of online shopping has
led many traditional brick-and-mortar retailers to create and emphasize unique
in-store shopping activities and experiences as a way to compete with online retailers.
This is known as experiential retailing, and the idea behind this trend is that
the one thing online retailers can’t offer is the in-store experience.
Therefore, if offline stores can develop truly interesting, entertaining,
and/or one-of-a-kind shopping activities/experiences, that would be one way to
effectively compete.
There are a number of examples of
companies engaging in experiential retailing. For instance, Bass Pro Shops
Outdoor World superstores feature a number of attractions that make each store
a unique destination, such as indoor waterfalls, gigantic aquariums, archery
ranges, and ponds with fish native to the store’s area. In addition, the stores
hold a number of demonstrations and workshops that teach customers a variety of
skills related to outdoor activities, including camping, hiking, fishing, and
water safety. Another outdoor recreation company, REI offers climbing walls at
some of its stores, for patrons to try out and practice their rock climbing
skills. In addition, Dick’s Sporting Goods offers a golf simulator for shoppers
to try out any of their golf clubs on a number of virtual holes before
purchasing them. On the simulator, the customer hits an actual golf ball and
then a large projection screen shows the flight of the ball through the air, as
well as where it lands. In addition to displaying this, the simulator also
provides a number of useful metrics, such as ball distance, speed, launch
angle, and spin, to further help customers decide if the club they’re using is
the right one for them.
Sporting goods and outdoor oriented stores aren’t the only ones
engaging in experiential retailing. Many other brick-and-mortar retailers are
starting to use technology to create a personalized shopping experience for
customers. For example, many companies such as Target offer mobile apps that
allow shoppers to see if an item is available at a particular store, and if so
tell them the exact location of that item within that store. In addition, other
retailers including Timberland, are beginning to employ the use of augmented
reality systems in their offline stores, to allow customers to virtually try on
clothing and accessories, as well as instantly mix and match various
combinations of shirts, pants, shoes, etc. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TZmQPdhpak. Neiman Marcus has also developed the “Memory Mirror”
shopping assistant, which allows shoppers trying on various items to view them
on a large video screen from any angle, as well as instantly change an items
color, or see the way different outfits look in side-by-side comparisons: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B97k394jetk.
Since many of these retailers’ items
can be purchased online, companies are hoping that by offering these extra
experiences, it will encourage consumers to go and shop at their physical
stores. Obviously online shopping is here to stay and will most likely continue
to keep growing well into the future. However, experiential retailing does show
promise in helping offline retailers to still have a relevant place in
consumers’ shopping habits.
What do you think of experiential retailing? Do you think it’s a
viable technique for allowing offline stores to better compete with online
shopping? Are there any other examples of experiential retailing that you’ve
recently seen in action? Please
share your thoughts in the comments section below.
John
Gironda, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of
Marketing at
Nova Southeastern University. His teaching and research interests include
digital and social media marketing, consumer behavior, marketing strategy,
advertising, personal selling, and sales management. He can be reached at: jgironda@nova.edu
