Digitalisation means consumers can buy whatever they want, whenever they want, from virtually anywhere. Yet the physical store is far from obsolete. When Jennie Forsgård, Retail Director at Gina Tricot, talks about the future of retail, she returns to one key idea: stores must offer something beyond the product itself. After all, if customers only want to buy an item, there are often simpler ways to do it.

The store has evolved from a sales space into an experience
Historically, a store’s primary purpose was to sell products. Today, customer expectations are far higher.
Jennie explains that the ambition is for customers to feel something the moment they walk through the door. It is about creating an experience that adds value and delivers a sense of inspiration, service or energy that simply cannot be replicated through a screen.
For retailers, this means rethinking the role of the store:
– Stop seeing the store solely as a sales channel.
– Start seeing it as a place where the brand comes to life.
– Create environments that give customers a reason to visit, even when the purchase itself could just as easily happen online.

The question is no longer whether customers visit stores to shop. The question is why they choose to visit in the first place.

The little extras make the difference
One of the most interesting points in Jennie’s perspective is that the “little extra” does not always have to be elaborate or expensive.
It can be:
– A warm and welcoming greeting
– Inspiring visual merchandising
– An event or in-store activity
– Personalised service
– An environment that encourages customers to stay a little longer

At a time when many retailers compete with similar products, the experience often becomes the decisive competitive advantage. Products can be copied; the feeling a brand creates is far harder to replicate.

The future of retail is built beyond silos
Another important insight is that the customer experience is not created by the store alone. Jennie highlights the importance of working across departments and avoiding siloed thinking.
From the customer’s perspective, it makes no difference which internal function is responsible for marketing, e-commerce, stores, logistics or customer service. Customers experience the brand as a whole.
When organisations operate in silos, friction often follows:
– Campaigns that do not work in stores
– E-commerce and physical retail competing against one another
– Inconsistent messaging across channels
– Customer journeys that feel fragmented

Many retailers still face the challenge of creating seamless experiences across all customer touchpoints.

AI is transforming retail, but people remain at the centre
Technology, data and AI will continue to play an increasingly important role in retail. However, Jennie’s perspective is that technology is not the goal in itself – it is simply a tool.
Customers still choose brands that make them feel seen, inspired and genuinely cared for. In that respect, the physical store continues to offer a unique advantage.

Three questions every retailer should ask
If stores are to remain relevant, more retailers need to ask themselves:
1. What do customers get from us that they cannot get online?
2. How do we create experiences that strengthen our relationship with the brand?
3. Are we truly operating as one organisation, or as a collection of separate departments?

The store still has – and will continue to have – an important place in the customer journey. Its value no longer lies solely in what it sells, but in how it makes people feel.

Read related blogs