Retailing Experience

BusinessWeek has an article that is an effective synopsis of where retailing is headed. Smart retailers try to make their store a destination, a place where people choose to spend time, learn, or have fun.

A noted success that we've noted here before is the reinvention of clothing retailer Topshop from cheap teen brand to high street style-leader, helped by the Oxford Circus flagship store, which boasts style advisers, nail and beauty bars, and lifestyle events.

Selfridges is another famous example of experience retailing with its themed promotions, celebrity appearances and displays featuring aspects of contemporary art, culture, and design. Liberty stores take a more traditional approach focused upon filling shelves with products that are original and hard to come by. That's a strategy that all stores should use.