Retailers are doubling down on in-store experiences to attract shoppers.

Retailers are doubling down on in-store experiences to attract shoppers. Ecommerce is growing fast, with eMarketer noting that global ecommerce sales are expected to comprise 20% of all retail sales this year—up from 18% 2020 and 14% in 2019. “The bar keeps being raised” for brick-and-mortar locations to compete with ecommerce’s appeal, according to the president of retail consulting firm SageBerry consulting, and retailers are doubling down on experiences to attract shoppers. Lego’s new flagship store in New York introduced an AR experience called the Brick Lab where visitors can create physical Lego models and bring them to life inside the 20-minute experience; Dick’s Sporting Goods launched a new concept store called Dick’s House of Sport featuring rock-climbing walls, turf fields, fitting rooms with treadmills, plus several more amenities; Mars Inc. opened two new M&M stores where consumers can ride an elevator to “Peanut Peak” and engage with a video screen experience called M&M’s Sweet Moves. YPulse’s Retail’s New Reality trend research shows that 76% of young consumers say shopping should be an experience, and brands can use in-person retail stores and pop-up stores to create lasting impressions with young people beyond just the products they’re buying. (WSJ)