Linn Academy 2020 On-Demand: What is next for retail? The importance of brand experience.

Jason Stuckey, GM US Linnworks, joins Darin Rabb, SVP Global Brand Experience lululemon, and Traci Inglis, D2C ecommerce expert, to look at the data behind the shift to ecommerce through 2020 and how brands will need to step up their brand experience to keep customers in their physical retail stores.

Listen to this session to hear:

• What brand actually means
• The importance of building a solid experience
• What the future store might look like
• The role of social commerce and apps

Brand experience will continue to be a vital component of the future of retail, with brands needing to step up their game to keep customers in their physical stores as well as online.

Jason Stuckey, general manager US for Linnworks, hosted a panel session at Linn Academy 2020 which included Darin Rabb, senior vice president global brand experience at lululemon and D2C ecommerce expert Traci Inglis.

Stuckey highlighted the importance of building a solid brand experience across all channels. “In today’s world of hyper connectivity every customer touchpoint is an opportunity to collect valuable data and insights; deliver an engaging message and elevate the consumer experience,” he said.

Rabb said that this highlighted the need to connect with customers. “It’s about creating an emotional connection with a customer in a direct one-to-one relationship with those individuals and creating a point of difference in a very crowded marketplace,” he said.

But it also goes further than that, helping companies provide a rallying point for their employees and to develop a community of loyal followers amongst fans of the brand.

Physical retail still has a role to play in the brand experience.

“It’s the promise that you are giving to your consumers,” said Inglis. “It’s about understanding what motivates your customers to shop with you.”

The trio agreed that physical retail will continue to play a major role in delivering the brand experience to the consumer, even though the role of the store will change. Rabb suggested that flagships will become scarcer, with smaller, community-based stores linked to dotcom, featuring more heavily instead.

App and social commerce will also be increasingly important, the trio said.

“This is the moment to double down on building direct relationships with customers and sustaining that over time,” said Rabb. “It’s not just about the transaction it’s building the brand and relationships that create long term loyalty value and growth for the brand.”

Watch the on-demand webinar now.