Bridging Online And Offline Experiences

The future of retail is more immersive and interactive than ever! Modern retailers are stepping up, integrating advanced materials like transparent cement and dynamic LED film screens into their store designs. This isn’t just about aesthetics - these innovations are about transforming how customers interact with brands and products. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧? >> Transparent Cement: This material allows for the construction of luminous spaces that blend natural and artificial light, creating an inviting and open atmosphere without sacrificing privacy. >> Dynamic LED Film Screens: These screens offer vibrant, changeable displays that can convert any glass surface into a digital billboard, providing real-time, customizable marketing directly on store windows or interior partitions. 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: >> Interactive Touchscreens: Positioned throughout stores, these touchscreens offer customers a personalized shopping journey, allowing them to look up product information, check availability, or even visualize products in different colors or styles. >> Augmented Reality (AR): AR integrates digital information with the real world in real-time, enabling shoppers to see how a piece of furniture might look in their home or how a dress might fit without entering a fitting room. These technological advancements do more than just catch the eye - they create a seamless, engaging, and highly personalized shopping experience. Retailers that embrace these innovations are setting new standards in customer engagement, turning routine shopping trips into memorable, interactive events. 🤔 How do you see the integration of such technologies reshaping the retail industry? What other innovations could further transform the shopping experience? #innovation #technology #future #management #startups

In 2007, a pair of pants ignited a retail revolution that would forever change how men shop. Andy Dunn, a Stanford graduate and innovator, identified a significant gap in men’s fashion: the absence of well-fitting, high-quality pants available online. This insight inspired the creation of Bonobos, a company that would revolutionize men’s retail. Bonobos stood out by focusing on one key issue: providing great-fitting pants for men. They didn’t just sell pants; they transformed the shopping experience. Here's how Bonobos transformed men's fashion retail: > Bonobos proved that men would indeed buy clothes they couldn't try on.  90% of their initial sales came through their website, challenging long-held beliefs about male shopping habits (Harvard Business School). > The "Guideshop" concept: Bonobos introduced a revolutionary hybrid model. Their guideshops allowed customers to try on clothes in person but place orders online, blending physical and digital experiences. > Mastering the perfect fit: Bonobos nailed fit customization with a variety of sizes and fits, which helped them reach over $200 million in annual revenue by 2019 (Inc. Magazine) > Customer service excellence: Bonobos elevated customer service with their "Ninjas" - representatives empowered to go above and beyond for customers. This approach yielded an impressive 83% customer retention rate (Forrester) The Bonobos story teaches us that addressing real customer pain points can transform an industry, and blending online convenience with offline experiences creates a powerful retail model. As fashion industry professionals, we can draw inspiration from Bonobos' success. What areas of fashion retail do you think are ready for a Bonobos-style disruption? Share your ideas in the comments below. #FashionInnovation #RetailRevolution

Customers are speaking to you through data every day. Just as employees, we should show up to work as our whole selves each day; your customer should too. Beyond the periodic surveys that have long been our comfort zone. Every digital touchpoint, transaction log, and customer interaction offers insights that continuously shapes the CX landscape. The signals are clear, so relying solely on surveys leaves a significant portion of customer insights untapped. As CX leaders, it's imperative to integrate data from multiple channels to uncover the full customer experience. Traditional feedback tools provide a snapshot, but the real story is written in the everyday behaviors and interactions across digital and physical platforms. Analytics is the new way forward. Harnessing real-time data from operational systems, transactional records, and behavioral metrics empowers your company to understand, meet, and anticipate evolving customer needs. Organizations that are blending diverse data streams enjoy a competitive edge. This holistic view is essential for proactive decision-making. And adopting a multi-source data strategy enables you to pivot more swiftly in today’s dynamic market environment. Look beyond the survey; tap into the rich, complex dialogue your customers are engaging you in daily. These insights are critical for designing experiences that drive sustainable growth. PS: The percentages are based on my own observation and are not meant to be accurate. I am also sure I've left off categories. So if you turn this into a debate about either %'s or titles, you've missed the point.

So you’re a digital brand, what’s your physical touch point? Oh… you don’t have one? Listen to this (you might want to make a coffee first)👇🏼 Last year Snap Inc. launched Snapchat+ membership gift cards via Amazon. They saw memberships rise from 5 million in September to 7 million by end of December. That’s a 40% subscription increase in one quarter. I think all of our finance teams would agree that’s the greatest Christmas present of all. So this year Snapchat are doubling down. They’ve just introduced physical gift cards in retail stores marking a strategic move to blend digital experiences with tangible interactions. In an age where 82% of consumers say they feel more connected to brands that offer in-person experiences, digital brands are realising that physical touchpoints not only reinforce loyalty but can also bring a whole new depth to their offerings. Here’s why this approach matters—and how some of the most innovative digital brands are pulling it off ⬇️ 1️⃣ Meeting Customers Where They Are – IRL Digital-first brands are finding that physical experiences resonate in powerful ways. Look at Runna - a running training app that brought its brand to life with a pop-up at the New York Marathont this weekend, offering runners real-world support, community, and connection. These brands turn online experiences into memorable in-person touchpoints, meeting users in the moments where they’ll connect best. Smart! 2️⃣ Tangibility Boosts Brand Loyalty There’s something about holding a product that brings a brand closer to home. Bumble Inc. the networking and dating app, understood this when they launched Bumble Hives—real-life lounges where users could attend dating workshops and networking events. These moments make the app experience feel more personal, building stronger loyalty. 3️⃣ Targeting the Gift-Givers - NOT the receivers While Gen Z is immersed in digital ecosystems, physical products like Snapchat gift cards are designed for their parents and grandparents. These tangible items offer a straightforward way for older generations to gift experiences that align with Gen Z’s digital lifestyles, effectively bridging the generational gap. This is what makes this super smart. 4️⃣ Why It Matters Now – People Want Real-World Experiences Consumers are increasingly seeking real-life interactions with their favorite brands, especially digital-first brands, as 78% of people now say they want brands to connect with them in more experiential ways. Physical experiences, whether pop-ups, branded parties, or beautifully crafted stores, offer a chance for digital brands to deepen relationships, bring their values to life, and connect with audiences in memorable, tangible ways. — As marketers, it’s essential to recognise the value of this intersection - but only when it’s smart, not just for the sake of it. What are some of your favourite examples of digital meets physical? Who’s doing this REALLY well? 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

The Art of Omnichannel Packaging. Gone are the days of strolling to the corner shop or local market for our weekly essentials. Instead, a significant portion of our purchases now happens with a few clicks from the comfort of our sofa For winning brands, success means connecting with consumers wherever they are—in other words, reaching the omnichannel shopper. Online and offline shopping are no longer separate experiences. Retail consumers now use online shopping, in-store shopping, and mobile apps interchangeably, preferring to do everything—they want the freedom to shop however they find most convenient at the moment Packaging is no longer just about catching the eye—it's also about effortlessly navigating the twists and turns of modern supply chains while keeping pace with the ever-changing customer journey. Brands are now expected to offer a seamless shopping experience across various channels—online, mobile, and in-store. This has triggered a significant shift in packaging design, with designers facing the challenge of creating packaging that fits both traditional retail and direct-to-consumer delivery. Adapting packaging to fit the omnichannel experience has become an increasingly vital strategy, requiring a laser-like focus on both value creation and sustainable packaging design. Brands are faced with a dilemma—optimise their packaging and keep the experience consistent for all channels or experiment at a channel level? Amidst these complexities, "The Wonderful Socks" brand has found the perfect harmony between these conflicting demands—their packaging seamlessly blending practicality, sustainability, and visual appeal, setting a fresh benchmark for designers. Designed using a single sheet of black pulp paper with a clean white screenprint, the packaging achieves a minimalist yet striking aesthetic. It's also been designed for recyclability—no need for glue. A small but impactful step. The initial design brief demanded robustness for global shipping and aesthetic appeal for brand visibility in shops and displays—not easy but the designers rose to the challenge brilliantly. Clever choice of shape and dimensions ensures that the socks remain in pristine condition even amidst bumps and impacts during transportation and optimal performance throughout the supply chain, resulting in reduced pallet footprint, lowering costs and reducing carbon footprint—important considerations for both the brand and the environment. Wonderful Socks packaging isn't just about protecting the product—it's an extension of the brand's story. It invites customers to embark on a brand journey, where supply chain excellence meets sustainability, delivering a unified experience across all omnichannel touchpoints. Reminder of the transformative power of well-designed packaging design in the fiercely competitive retail landscape? #packagingdesign #omnichannel #sustainabledesign #packaging #sustainability 📷The Wonderful Socks

If more of your store sales start on TikTok lately, you might wanna read this. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦. The checkout happens in-store. But the sale happens everywhere else. Here's the reality: This year 60%+, and in 2027, 70% of retail sales will be digitally influenced. I can't emphasize this enough; here's what most brands miss—digital influence isn't just about online sales. It's about shaping every moment before the customer even walks into your store. L'Oréal cracked this code: 100M+ AR try-on sessions driving real conversions. 31 brands orchestrating seamless experiences across 72 countries. No.1 in beauty influencer marketing (29% market share), 20-80% higher conversion rates through enhanced digital experiences. The new customer journey isn't linear—it's layered: - They discover you on social - Research you through reviews and UGC - Try your product virtually through AR - Get retargeted with personalized content - Finally purchase in-store (feeling confident they're making the right choice) Every touchpoint matters, and every interaction influences the final decision. The brands winning today aren't just selling products—they're orchestrating experiences across owned, paid, and earned media that guide customers from curiosity to checkout. Digital discovery is increasingly pay-to-play and shoppers are paying attention. ++ Tactical Recommendations for CPG / FMCG Brands ++ 1. Beyond just having perfect, high SOV product pages, create discovery ecosystems. - Optimize for "zero-moment-of-truth" searches. - Activate shoppable content at scale. - Leverage user-generated content as social proof. Brands that do these see a 35% higher conversion rate from digital touchpoints to in-store purchases. 2. Connect digital engagement directly to retail execution. - Geo-target digital campaigns to drive foot traffic - Create "store-specific" digital content CPG brands using geo-targeted social ads see a 23% higher in-store sales lift in targeted markets. 3. Most important one; stop flying blind—measure digital influence on offline sales. - Implement unique promo codes for each digital touchpoint to track conversion paths. - Use customer surveys at point of purchase. - Partner with retailers on shared data insights Brands with proper attribution see 15-25% improvement in marketing ROI within 12 months. 𝗧𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 ecommert® 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟰,𝟲𝟬𝟬+ 𝗖𝗣𝗚, 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘁® : 𝗖𝗣𝗚 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. #CPG #FMCG #AI #ecommerce Procter & Gamble PepsiCo Unilever The Coca-Cola Company Nestlé Mondelēz International Kraft Heinz Ferrero Mars Colgate-Palmolive Henkel Bayer Haleon Kenvue The HEINEKEN Company Carlsberg Group Philips Samsung Electronics Panasonic North America

The best marketing doesn’t look like marketing—it looks like excitement. This ₹19 lakh crore retail brand’s Delhi launch proved that when you design for shareability, customers become your biggest promoters-for free. Here’s what they did         Marketing today isn’t just about showing up—it’s about creating an experience that people want to talk about, both offline and online. Some of the most impactful campaigns start in the physical world before making waves in the digital space. Take IKEA’s Delhi launch, for example. Instead of relying solely on online ads, they built anticipation through a well-thought-out offline strategy that naturally sparked online conversations. I've observed these key elements in IKEA's strategy: 📍 Billboards that made people stop and wonder: They billboards were placed in Connaught Place and Cyber Hub, Also, they were featured countdowns and cryptic teasers, which builds the curiosity and excitement before the launch. 📍 A store made for the ‘Gram: Also, they designed a Life-sized IKEA shopping bags, cozy room setups, and interactive spaces which changed the store into a photo-worthy experience, encouraging visitors to snap, share, and spread the buzz. 📍 Early access that sparked FOMO: Influencers, journalists, and early visitors got a first look, and they sharied their excitement online and making everyone else wish they were there. 📍 Experiences worth talking about: From a Swedish café to live product demos, every detail was designed to make customers the brand’s biggest promoters—naturally. 📍 A seamless offline-to-online journey: QR codes on billboards and in-store displays made it easy to explore products, shop online, and stay connected—blending the physical and digital experience effortlessly. I believe the most valuable insight from IKEA's approach is that effective marketing doesn't require choosing between traditional and digital channels. The magic happens when you understand how they complement each other. Which recent store opening in your city created genuine excitement both offline and online? 

Are you applying product thinking to how you design people experiences? Then may I add some ingredients to what you’re cooking up. Because while product thinking is powering up PX, transformational experiences need a bit more than that. From spending the last decade working with teams in this space, I’ve boiled it down to three key ingredients (which is tough, because this space is complex, messy and beautiful, but here we go): 🛠 Product thinking 🎭 Service design skills 🤝 Facilitation = Experiences that deliver results, for your people and business. If you’re thinking, “WTF do those words mean?” - fair. PX can be a jargon-fuelled frenzy. So, I mapped it out (and not just so I can finally explain my job to my pals). Here's how these ingredients come to life using the double-diamond framework as a familiar structure to get us started: 🛠 Product thinking: A structured, actionable and measurable way to test, iterate & improve people experiences. 🎭 Service design: Aligning the front stage customer AND employee experiences with the backstage systems, process and tech that make it viable. 🤝 Facilitation: PX doesn’t work in a vacuum, often it's a teams confidence in the application and advocacy that means PX initiatives can wobble. Bringing the right people along for the ride through curated conversations, safe spaces, and feedback loops build confidence and buy-in. But great PX design isn’t just about how. It’s about who and why. 👑 Leadership: They set the tone, make the hard calls, and need to be in the journey, not just (begrudgingly) signing off budget. 🫶 Engagement: People don't resist change, they resist being changed without involvement. Build understanding and capabilities beyond your people team (come-on, they've got enough on their plates) Cross-functional collaboration, specialised squads, show and tells and feedback loops are key. 🎯 Purpose & mission: Keep the goalposts clear while allowing creativity and play in execution. If people don't know why something matters and how it contributes to the bigger goal, it won't stick. 📏 Values: Your design principles - guardrails that shape experiences unique to your organisation, ensuring your experiences standout from the rest. 🔽 I designed this diagram to show how it all fits together. But don’t be daunted - PX isn’t about doing everything at once. It’s about knowing where you're at, what your people and business need, and applying the right tools at the right pace, then test, review and adapt to set up your style. So, PX friends, what do we think? Natalie Pearce, Megan Trotter, Luke O'Mahoney, Jessica Z., Mark Lewis, Marie Krebs, Matt McFarlane, JooBee Yeow, PhD, Natalie Lineton, Lauren Gomes, Vanessa Monsequeira - चित्रलेखा ---- ⬆️ This is a snapshot into how I work with leaders & people ops teams to design transformational experiences. Want to learn more? Follow along or DM me 💌 #PeopleExperience #DesignThinking #ServiceDesign #ProductThinking

Everyone thought we were crazy because we spent ₹50 crore annually opening stores across 50 cities in just 3 years. Here's the research that changed my perspective: By 2028, 72% of shopping will still happen in physical stores. Not because people can't buy online. Because they want to see and feel what they're buying. When we were purely digital, customers loved our products. But they had questions that our analytics couldn't answer. They wanted to know:  → Does this actually feel as good as it looks?  → Will this work for my back pain?  → How does grid technology really work? Those conversations became gold for us. Physical stores aren't just sales channels anymore. They're shoppable billboards that build trust faster than any ad campaign. Look at what the best brands are doing: 📌 Apple designed stores as experience hubs. People don't just buy, they explore and connect. Today, they have a total of 536 stores globally. 📌 Just 2 weeks back at the iPhone 17 launch, 400-500 people queued up outside their Mumbai store. In Delhi, the crowd was 600 strong by 8 am. That's why we applied the same pattern in our experience stores. 📍We started with 1 store in 2022, currently we're at 170+ stores. 📍Our in-store customers converted faster. Acquisition costs dropped. More than 80% of our revenue comes from our experience stores. 📍By having physical stores, our brand trust grew stronger with customers than any metric could measure. The future of retail isn't choosing between online and offline. It's understanding where each channel adds value and making them work together. What's one product you'd never buy without experiencing it first?

𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱, 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 I still remember those endless nights in SEPHORA, manually counting thousands of items. That’s why Starbucks’ announcement today resonated so strongly with me. They are rolling out AI-powered automated counting across all their North America coffeehouses: 11k stores. What’s remarkable is the technology mix: 👀 Computer vision to instantly recognize products on shelves. 🔢 3D spatial intelligence to capture placement and quantities. 🪩 Augmented reality overlays guiding partners through the process. 📈 AI analytics that flag low-stock items and will soon automate replenishment orders. The results are striking: ✅ Inventory now counted 8x more frequently. ✅ A process that used to take one hour, now takes minutes. They are reporting a saving of 16,500 hours per week. ✅ Sales people spend less time in the backroom and more time crafting and connecting with customers. Starbucks calls it “technology in the background, craft and connection in the foreground”. And that’s exactly why it matters: technology here is the enabler of efficiency, consistency, and focus on consumer experience. Starbucks is not alone. Walmart with robots scanning shelves, Inditex embedding RFID across its stores, and Amazon Go pioneering frictionless checkout all point to the same truth: the future of retail advantage lies in mastering the invisible backbone of operations. 👉 We’ve moved beyond pilots and “experiments.” AI, AR and computer vision are becoming part of operational infrastructure. Having lived both sides, the manual counts and the promise of automation, I guess this will become the standard for every retailer. #RetailInnovation #AI #AugmentedReality #Operations #CustomerExperience