Physical commerce and digital technology: a challenge for the brands

Will the future of physical commerce be futuristic shops which well-known international brands have developed in New York and Shanghai? In these flagship stores, where digital technology is hard to avoid and surprisingly often invisible, what exactly are the experiences which these brands (both well-established brands and ‘virtual’ brands which only exist on the Internet) want their customers to enjoy? At a time when it was predicted that Amazon would be able to sell everything online, from a sandwich to a Tesla, these ‘new age’ boutiques are attracting crowds of young – and not so young – people. They all have smartphones in their hands, and are ‘Instagram-ready’. The brand is important, but buying something is of secondary importance or the purchase may even be deferred to another day. MEDIA6 has experience in this area and is at the forefront of this creative know-how. It brings a French perspective to this intriguing evolution in the distribution sector where the physical combines with the digital to become the ‘phygital’.