CULTURE-FIRST FLAGSHIPS

As cultural savvy and insider connections become a key retail differentiator, flagships capable of unlocking erudite/creative doors will soar in value. That thrilling sense of uniqueness will be echoed in special-access store spaces (VIP fans only), with bland-busting extra tiers outshining homogenous brand experiences.

TRANSITION TO TRANMISSION ZONES

With retail and media blurring at speed, the invaluable voice, vision and connective authority of broadcasting will move literally onto the shop floor. Brand studios will mark the rise of a more focused, episodic style of retail that’s capable of slicing through relentless brand noise, simultaneously bolstering spaces based on season-irrelevant ‘drop’ concepts.

OMNI-SMART UPGRADES & UPSTAGING REALITY

New confluences of tech will raise the omni-commerce game in 2019, creating stores that behave like micro smart cities, responsive to external changes in real time – and stores that consumers can digitally control themselves. It’s a phygital upgrade that, with sensorial additions, will also power gaming-esque retail spaces of immersive, reality-distorting proportions.

SELF-CARE SANCTUMS & THE NEW (NON) VICES

Consumers’ appetite for self-care in its many and varied forms (fitness, sleep, sexual, self-expressive) is booming, creating a glowing opportunity for those brands able to master convergences of peace of mind and hard-and-fast health. Newly legalised vices such cannabis fold into this nascent genre of non-traditional wellness.

PROTO-STORES: TESTBEDS & MENTORSHIP

Spaces rooted in an in-progress ‘beta’ mentality will continue to flourish – including those providing previews (products, experiences or services), those that flex to the tune of live data, and/or those placing innovation hubs front and centre. Additionally, prepare for agency stores that epitomise the next phase of ‘retailer as enabler’, catering to the ‘brand of self’. 

RESALE RETREATS

Fuelled by socially progressive practices and eco-ethical concerns surrounding rampant consumption, the resale sector will continue to thrive, becoming increasingly sophisticated en route. It’s a retail genre that goes hand-in-glove with the similarly booming world of post-purchase/aftercare commerce – where revival is as credible as ‘brand new’.