At the beginning of July, Amazon announced the opening of its second grab-and-go grocery store this fall, only a few months after the first one opened. As with the first location, the second Amazon Go store will offer a cashierless experience. Cameras and sensors placed everywhere in the store detect the products you pick up and then bill the registered credit card on your Amazon Go app.

Giant online retailers are adopting an offline approach that consists of opening physical stores in order to increase their revenues. Contrary to popular belief, on-site purchases still make out a large part of a brand’s sales. Forecasts drawn from the Forrester and McKinsey analysis reveal that ‘’brick and mortar stores should still account for 85% of retail sales in 2025’’. 

To remain competitive in this new retail dynamic, traditional brick and mortar stores need to reinvent their on-site experiences. 

This starts with truly getting to know your customers and tailoring your offers to them. To keep an attractive edge, stores now have to go beyond simply selling products and need to offer a service that their clientele truly wants.

Last year, American Eagle opened its first American Eagle Studio in NYC which is the epitome of knowing who your targeted audience is and catering to their needs. Located right next to one of NYU’s dorms, the store offers a free laundromat located at the very back of the store. We all know how daunting of a task laundry can be for students. The brand decided to capitalize on that to attract students to their store and entices them to buy by making them walk through rows and rows of jeans. 

But the studio experience doesn’t stop there. This unique American Eagle also has a lounge space where shoppers can enjoy a breathtaking view or get motivated by the Cardi B lyrics hanging on the walls. This specific AE location also carries a dorm essentials collection that includes everything a dorm resident could ever need. 

How to Tackle Online Giants Going Offline? 

The world of retail will only get more and more competitive and a tipping factor for clients is the experience they receive in store. A study conducted by Forrester showed that "77% of consumers have chosen, recommended, or paid more for a brand that provides a personalized service or experience’’.

With Eye-In Media’s omnichannel marketing solution, create personalized experiences for every single user that connects to your Wi-Fi network. This customization can be used for newsletters, login pages, promotional offers but can also go as far as personalizing the content on your digital screens in real time based on the audience present. 

To harmonize both the in store and online shopping experience, our Universal Marketing Experience platform also you to customize your website pages based on the user’s customer profile (built using the data collected while they were in your establishment). 

Implementing a data-driven marketing strategy can have a significant impact on your sales both on and offline: 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands who recognize, remember, and provide relevant offers and recommendations. (Accenture)

Brick and mortar establishments are not disappearing but the old way of selling is. Revive the way you do retail with integrated customer experiences.