The store of the future is not a store

The store of the future is not a store

Lee Peterson, WD Partners

Thursday, March 18 | Noon (EST)

People don’t have to go to stores anymore, they have to want to go to stores. We've known that for quite some time, but in the past year, we've seen that taken to another level, as retail experienced restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many retailers were closed for months—and some still are—exacerbating an already looming (and dooming) fact: We are over-stored.

Though this time, we've seen that consumers do want to go to stores, but in a much different manner than before. According to over 2,100 consumers surveyed in WD Partners’ new study:

• Buy online, pickup in/at store (BOPIS) approval is at an all-time high
• Delivery has an approval rating near 100%
• Dark stores (no shopping, pickup and delivery only) have been deemed acceptable in big numbers
• Consumers consider excellent in-store experience extremely important

This presentation from Lee Peterson, Executive Vice President of Thought Leadership & Marketing at WD Partners, will cover the latest research on these topics and more as we explore the “after days” and what shape they may take.