With consumers increasingly perceiving their possessions as ‘assets’ – 90 million Europeans first tried reselling in 2021, up from 16 million in 2020 (Cross-Border Commerce Europe, 2021) – expect wins from brand spaces that not only (imaginatively) support reselling but also verify and value goods, both physical and digital.

Also primed for success in 2023/24 are the urban brand spaces bringing the power of socialised play into the heart of sporting concept stores. Key to their stickiness is the outreach to a wider community, blending public and private, consumers and fandoms, and often also historic legacy and contemporary living.

Locality remains key for 2023/24, with consumers appreciating brands with a local presence that contribute meaningfully to the communities they inhabit (see Key Stats). Alongside improving areas economically or ecologically, look to spaces nurturing upskilling and culture and/or bringing the spark of neighbourhood conviviality to life.

Tallying with 2022 Deloitte research that examined how the twin pressures of the pandemic and rising inflation have sharpened appetites for repair and reuse, 2023/24 will bring wins for brands investing in spaces focusing on product swaps or revitalisation, from electronics to fashion.

Continuing the pleasure-centric storytelling detailed in Retail’s New Wellness Narratives, flagships playing on a sensory edge will also see success in 2023/24. Temples to ‘feel-goodness’, these spaces respond to the recent memories of pandemic-driven sensory deprivation and the desire for integrative or alternative health solutions.

Physical flagships will mainstream access to and build consumer confidence in Web3 technologies and formats (the metaverse, NFTs) in 2023/24, shining an imaginative new lens on phygital (physical meets digital) brand experiences in the process. The shift will amplify a new genre of ultra-architecture, encompassing extraordinary façades.

Contemporising the long-running ‘beta brandscapes’ trend for 2023/24 are ‘Nexperiums’ – experiential, horizon-scanning environments that make incoming design, developments and research tangible. From food to beauty to consumer tech, consider them bastions of delightful yet digestible discovery.

Omnichannel stores have been on the menu for years, but new designs offering incremental upgrades present key inspiration for 2023/24. Evolving strategies in Creating the Contactless Store technology, including pre-book fitting room apps, QR-code-enabled pick-up instructions and instant digital comparison tables, are adding powerful utilities into the mix.

With young people preferring physical stores to e-commerce (as an antidote to hyper-digitised life – see Key Stats) while being disproportionately affected by the shift to working from home (see Civic Commerce), youth-centric store spaces bolstering cultural connections, professional opportunities and a sense of belonging deserve extra attention in 2023/24.