Author: Mike Musto
Photo by: Joshua Earle
Retail sales in the U.S. contracted 0.9% month-over-month in January 2025 — a sharper decline than expected (source). It’s not surprising when you consider the daily headlines announcing store closures from major retailers like Macy’s, Best Buy, and Rite Aid. Having worked in brand management and experiential tech for years, I’ve seen firsthand, brands failing to evolve their customer experience are the ones being left behind.
Gone are the days of passive looped videos and static poster displays. Today’s shoppers demand immersive, engaging environments. Retailers are no longer just competing with each other — they’re up against the convenience of the digital world. If brick-and-mortar stores want to win, they must make juice worth the squeeze. Can sensor-triggered content, interactive displays, and AR stack up against the comfort of shopping from the couch? Absolutely.
The key advantage of physical retail lies in its power to create emotional connection. Experiences that make people stop, feel, and create lasting bonds between consumers and brands. Visual storytelling, motion, and audio cues work together to spark passion in ways that 2D screens rarely can. I’m reminded of Maya Angelou’s famous quote: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Across industries, we’re seeing brands shift from static visuals to interactive, emotionally charged experiences. In retail showrooms, digital signage responds to customer presence, drawing them in. Lighting and soundscapes are used to create immersive vignettes that set the tone for discovery. Personalized welcome messages greet visitors in high-end spaces, adding a thoughtful touch. These are just a few ways brands are proving that while the journey may start online, the main event — real, human connection — happens in person.
As brands continue evolving their customer experiences, one truth remains clear: great tech is not about the flash — it’s about the impact. Now is the time to audit your existing tools and ask the hard question: Is our in-store experience truly serving the customer — or just filling space?