Sports Insight

4 • Sports Insight ~ December 2018 sportsinsightmag.com The Experience of Retail M u ch has been written about what consumers want out of retail. And the convenience they can get with online shopping, but not in-store. Consumers want to get in and out of stores quickly. They want an "endless aisle" of products available in-store and online. They want to walk out and pay so seamlessly that they do not have to stop at the cash register. Many of the best brick- and-mortar stores have embraced these trends. But if the ease of clicking a button on a phone to purchase a product is going to be the bar being reached for, then brick-and-mortar shops are going to be in a constant struggle to attain it. Sometimes people just want to buy stuff. Now. And sometimes the easiest option is online shopping. That option is not going anywhere. But sometimes people want and need to go to an actual store to see which product fits best. Or to learn how to use their gear. Or get help finding the best places to hike. Or find new friends to run with. They want it to be… fun. For an example of a retailer that's been excelling at offering the consumer an experience for a long time — like 80 years long — read our profile of Kittery Trading Post on page 30. Our consumer research, beginning on page 26, includes feedback from consumers on what they want out of retail and products, and what they see as gamechanging. The ability to "buy online and pick up in store" tops the list. In our Gamechangers cover story beginning on page 18, we highlight just a few of the many ideas and issues impacting the industry. One is "experiential retail" — retail as an experience. We also delve into robots, pop culture, 3D and 4D tech, mergers and acquisitions and more. Okay, some of these are more fun than others. But you get the idea. The experience of retail can be fun. That's a gamechanger worth rooting for. l Retail can be fun. Especially retail in the active lifestyle market. T I M E O U T CARA GRIFFIN

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