{"id":883491,"date":"2026-01-08T08:12:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T14:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/08\/what-a-winning-retail-strategy-looks-like-in-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T08:12:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T14:12:07","slug":"what-a-winning-retail-strategy-looks-like-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/08\/what-a-winning-retail-strategy-looks-like-in-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"What a Winning Retail Strategy Looks Like in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Entertainment <\/p>\n

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After years of digital acceleration, store closures and experimental formats, physical retail is entering a new phase \u2014 one defined less by experiential spectacle and more by service, relevance and emotional resonance. By 2026, most consumers will assume that product availability, price comparison and delivery speed can be solved online. What remains unresolved, however, is how brands make people feel when they step inside a store, and whether that feeling is compelling enough to justify the trip.<\/p>\n

An appealing window display no doubt draws a customer in. But in 2026, the reason they\u2019ll stay is because of a sales associate who remembers their upcoming trips; a curation that feels distinct, with limited-edition capsules from a tight list of brand partners; a comfortable seating area; a new installation from a local artist; or a coffee shop-slash-smoothie bar to relax and catch up with your shopping buddy. None of this is reinventing the wheel, but experts say brands and retailers need to focus on sharpening their execution with details that make each store visit feel unique, without sacrificing the sale.<\/p>\n

We spoke to retail experts and cultural curators about what customers want from physical retail in 2026.<\/p>\n

Entertainment Create experiences \u2014 just don\u2019t call it experiential<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For years, experiential retail has been the industry\u2019s go-to response to declining footfall. But insiders say the word itself has lost meaning, even if the underlying strategy is more important than ever. \u201cI think we\u2019re over the name \u2018experiential\u2019, but we\u2019re not over the action \u2014 on the contrary, we\u2019re just at the beginning of it,\u201d says Stavros Karelis, founder and buying director at London concept store Machine-A. \u201cCustomers are a bit numb to fashion right now, so it\u2019s difficult to get them excited about things. That\u2019s why it\u2019s still so important to create an emotional connection through exceptional and unique services.\u201d This could include personal shopping and styling sessions, or an immersive art installation that makes the experience memorable.<\/p>\n

Model and creative Kat Qiu opened her concept store VoyeurVoyeur in East London last year<\/a> as a destination to make shopping fun again. \u201cPeople [are] bored and want to locate themselves both physically and intellectually somewhere they enjoy. Retail becomes part of how they socialize,\u201d says Qiu. At VoyeurVoyeur, this most recently looked like an in-store party that featured free tattoos from an artist working out of its central, one-way-mirrored changing cubicle (the person inside can see out, but no one can see in).<\/p>\n

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VoyeurVoyeur\u2019s recent community event featured a free tattoo station.<\/span>Photo: Courtesy of VoyeurVoyeur<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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Food and beverage also remains an effective way of keeping customers in store for longer. Sarah Andelman, founder of consultancy Just An Idea and formerly Paris concept store Colette, points to continued novelty as key to preventing these spaces from feeling formulaic. \u201cThe way to make it feel new is by offering something you didn\u2019t have last month \u2014 yes, we have the new collection, but also in the caf\u00e9 we just launched a matcha collaboration with this guy from Japan that\u2019s available for only one month,\u201d she suggests. Ralph Lauren\u2019s Ralph\u2019s Coffee chain<\/a> consistently does very well, she says.<\/p>\n

Others are leaning into art, design and culture. Jacquemus\u2019s LA store features vintage jewelry, while its London location offers art from the designer\u2019s personal collection. JW Anderson has expanded its assortment beyond fashion into lifestyle and cultural products. Andelman recalls Tiffany\u2019s Basquiat installation displayed in its New York flagship in 2023, which turned the store into a cultural destination rather than a simple point of sale.<\/p>\n

While many brands have long talked about turning stores into \u2018lifestyle destinations\u2019, that ambition has rarely translated into formats that genuinely extend how consumers use retail spaces. But recent openings point to where physical retail is heading next. In October, Frasers Group opened a Liverpool flagship for Sports Direct<\/a>, complete with an Everlast gym on the top floor that includes a Hyrox station, a reformer Pilates studios, as well as saunas and ice baths. Kith\u2019s London post, which opened in November, features a restaurant with pastrami sandwiches and caviar sliders, a cereal and ice cream bar, and a cultural hub with a premium sound system.<\/p>\n

By 2026, experts expect more brands to adopt a truly multi-purpose retail model, where stores function as social venues, wellness spaces or cultural hubs.<\/p>\n

Entertainment Localize in a globalized world<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Major groups are scaling back their store networks, in part because top customers increasingly visit the same flagship locations across cities. If a customer can buy the same product in London, Paris and Shanghai, what motivates them to walk into the store while abroad? The answer lies in hyper-local storytelling.<\/p>\n

Andelman points to Louis Vuitton\u2019s flagship differentiation. \u201cEven if it\u2019s the same products, the approach is different \u2014 in New York, you have the books with the coffee, or there are different chefs working in each city, whether it\u2019s Paris or somewhere in Asia,\u201d she says. Another example is the brand\u2019s different window installations across different cities, created in collaboration with artist Yayoi Kusama. \u201cThese little moments can attract content online and bring attention to you, because people come in to discover the architecture, the exclusivity of the service, or even the chocolates for Valentine\u2019s Day,\u201d she says. Collaborations with brands on exclusive products are likely to become even more competitive for retailers, as limited-availability drops draw attention and drive sales.<\/p>\n

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Louis Vuitton\u2019s Shanghai flagship. Photo: YUYU CHEN \/ Feature China\/Future Publishing via Getty Images<\/p>\n

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Relevance can also be built by responding to what\u2019s happening outside the store. \u201cAnother way to keep the store experience feeling new is to embrace what\u2019s happening in your city,\u201d Andelman continues. \u201cIf it\u2019s the US Open, a marathon, or Milan Design Week, it\u2019s great to be reactive and show you\u2019re part of your city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Entertainment Bring back old-school customer service<\/strong><\/h2>\n

After a period of online obsession, the pendulum is swinging back. Experts say the biggest opportunities to offer a luxury retail experience involve reviving old-school services.<\/p>\n

Retail consultant Robert Burke points to the importance of personal shoppers. Last year, long-time Neiman Marcus personal stylist Catherine Bloom \u2014 who had her own dedicated boutique, Bloom\u2019s Room \u2014 was poached by Nordstrom to become director of luxury styling. At Bergdorf Goodman, Linda\u2019s shop-in-shop, curated by fashion director Linda Fargo, offers unique products not offered anywhere else in the store. \u201cCreating that unique shopping experience by a fashion expert really connects the store to the customer,\u201d says Burke, noting that customers from across the US and Europe travel to Bergdorf Goodman just to go to Linda\u2019s store.<\/p>\n

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Catherine Bloom and Linda Fargo. Photo: Pascal Le Segretain\/Getty Images for the Business of Fashion and Swan Gallet\/WWD via Getty Images<\/p>\n

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Karelis expects bespoke services to return. \u201cI think we\u2019re going to go back to a more traditional retail environment, whether that\u2019s through personalized experiences, craft or bespoke tailoring services \u2014 something we saw back in the day that we stopped offering,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

For smaller brands without luxury budgets, there are ways to adapt this model. \u201cA lot of brands create versatile spaces, which are essentially a showroom, a retail space and a design studio in one. It\u2019s nothing new, but it allows them to consolidate the costs and expenses while having an open window to the customer, who can then visit the brand in its own world,\u201d Karelis adds. There\u2019s no need to overextend or mimic bigger competitors. Audiences often enjoy feeling part of a brand\u2019s growth journey.<\/p>\n

Entertainment Make stores functional again<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Beyond emotional engagement, practicality still matters \u2014 and many experts believe customers are ready to return to in-store shopping for exactly that reason. But functionality shouldn\u2019t come at the expense of aesthetics.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI often find that many physical retail spaces focus either on form or function. They either look beautifully impractical, or practically ugly,\u201d Qiu says. At VoyeurVoyeur, she has fused function and aesthetic in a number of ways, including with a dramatic mirrored changing room that shows the clothes from all angles, while playing on the store\u2019s name. Qiu is also planning a plush seating arrangement, after noticing that so many luxury boutiques lack a comfortable space to try on shoes, despite footwear being a key revenue driver.<\/p>\n

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VoyeurVoyeur\u2019s mirrored changing room. Photo: Paul Riddle<\/p>\n

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Andelman also expects certain hype-driven tactics to lose their appeal. \u201cI don\u2019t think people want to see the line around the shops anymore, as if you\u2019re waiting to go to the dentist,\u201d she jokes. While queues may attract passers-by, repeat customers are less interested in waiting to spend their money.<\/p>\n

Entertainment Use AI in the background<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While artificial intelligence is transforming retail operations, experts agree that its role in luxury should remain largely invisible to the customer. \u201cI don\u2019t think that AI is at the point right now to replace the personal shopper and that personal interaction,\u201d says Burke. \u201cI\u2019m sure it can be supportive in many ways, but I still think this human relationship is extremely important when it comes to buying luxury items.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karelis agrees, pointing to operational applications as the most valuable use cases. \u201cAI is an important tool to implement in your business \u2014 that\u2019s the future and we really cannot avoid it \u2014 but we need to learn how to use it correctly,\u201d he says. In retail, that means predictive analysis, customer service data and inventory management. \u201cIt\u2019s primarily the back end of the business.\u201d<\/p>\n

For consumers, the best AI may be the kind they never notice \u2014 powering availability, speed and relevance, while leaving the emotional connection firmly in human hands.<\/p>\n

Despite a shaky retail landscape over the past few years, experts are confident about the approach for 2026: going back to basics, and executing that well. \u201c2025 was a turbulent year, but I think in 2026, the brands and retailers that stay focused at what they do best \u2014 and on their customers \u2014 are going to win,\u201d says Burke.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Elroy Pingree<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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