Are Direct-To-Consumer Brands Changing The Retail Experience By Becoming More Like Museums?

I was intrigued by this article discussing how direct-to-consumer (DTC) and digitally-native brands are creating bricks-and-mortar outposts that are less about shopping/purchasing (you can do that online after all) and more about creating experiences.

For companies like Casper and Indochino, stores are just one piece of a much larger picture, and oftentimes an educational tool.

Although the bedding brand Casper is slated to open 200 stores across North America, it took the brand two years to debut its first permanent retail location. During that time, pop-up experiments were funneling in information that helped guide marketing and design teams on what the store should look and feel like.

One of the biggest stipulations for Casper stores was that they had to be fun. 

"We call it playful science — which is something that is inspired by science museums ... It teaches you about our product in a very playful way." 

Retailers and marketers are obviously learning some tricks from museums, but what can museums learn from digital and traditional retailers as they seek to attract customers? 

Click on over to read the entire article on the Retail Dive website - it's a real eye-opener!

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Paul Orselli writes the posts on ExhibiTricks. Paul is an instigator, in the best sense of that word. He likes to mix up interesting people, ideas, and materials to make both individual museum exhibits and entire museums with his company POW! (Paul Orselli Workshop, Inc.)

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