Despite the growing trends in e-commerce and online shopping, people still prefer personal experiences where they can see, touch, and interact with brands, products, and other customers.
That’s what Burnalong co-founder, Daniel Freedman, discusses in an article published in the Wall Street Journal titled, “Bricks, Mortar — and Experiences.”
In it, Daniel writes, “Retail’s supposed killers are betting quite a bit on brick-and-mortar stores. These won’t be your grand’s general store, though. Brands like Amazon and Apple see the future of retail as less of a traditional transactional interaction and more of an experience. It’s curated, much like museum exhibits. Customers are going there to learn and interact with others.”
For Daniel — and why Burnalong believes in working with local gyms, studios, and wellness professionals — an eye-opening experience came when a company building stadiums for people to watch gamers play each other tried to recruit him.
If even video-gamers crave in-person experiences, you can bet that areas like fitness and wellness, where so much is about personal relationships, are only going to grow offline. The future is about a symbiotic relationship between the online and offline worlds.
The online world has undoubtedly changed the way we shop, but people still want that human interaction. That is great news for retailers, gym and studio owners, and everyone else with an offline presence. Just don’t ignore the online either!
