RETAIL IS DYING. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN SAVE IT CULTIVATING LOCAL EXPERIENCES AND UNLEASHING THE POWER OF THE 3 S IN RETAIL MARKETING

Isn’t it incredible how a shopping mall is often the focal point of a city going through regeneration? All over the world, malls are the beating heart of villages, towns and cities. With globalisation and digital connectivity, there is however a huge elephant in the room. The same stores and the same experiences are being rolled out via a cookie-cutter approach everywhere.

Localism and an understanding of the cultural fabric have to underpin every single consumer shopping experience in the world. When shopping experiences are immersed in the local culture, retailers can align their brand messaging and experiences with what truly matters to the local audience. This cultural understanding helps build authenticity and connection which in turn, builds trust and loyalty among customers. This is paramount for retailers to create thriving retail experiences that resonate with customers both locally and beyond.

In addition to mastering the tone of ‘Glocal’ shopping experiences, there is something equally vital when it comes to cultivating thriving retail environments. We cannot ignore the influx of digital tools we have at our disposal, most notably, social media.

KORAL IBRAHIM Founder & Managing Director The Ready House

Koral, Founder & MD of The Ready House, has 10+ years’ global agency experience. With expertise in launching and revitalizing brands, he disrupted the consultancy model by focusing on social and digital channels. Specializing in placemaking, fashion, and hospitality, The Ready House unlocks brand potential through community-driven social branding.

I’m going to leave you with The 3S model of mastering social media.

1. Social-First Mindset

If you’re still treating social media as a nice-to-have in your business strategy, you have to wake up. Today’s consumers live their lives online, period. We all know it, and we all need to embrace it. The people you want in your stores are busy online sharing their lives and crucially for retailers - their shopping experiences.

A social-first mindset isn’t about selling your products on social platforms, but rather, allowing social media to inform and guide your business decisions. How can retailers create social moments, something we at The Ready House call ‘social cues’, within their stores for example?

2. Shift from Product to Platform

Traditionally, retail was about selling a product or a service. Today, it’s about selling a lifestyle, an ethos, a story. Now more than ever, customers are seeking more than a transaction. They want an experience, they want a connection. They want to belong. Brands should use their social platforms to tell stories, share opinions, and ignite debates. This shift requires you to listen and understand your customers, to speak their language and to resonate with them.

3. Utilize ‘Social-Scraping’

In the world of social media, each like, share, and comment is a valuable data point. With the right tools, these interactions can be harvested – or ‘scraped’ – to give you a detailed understanding of what truly engages your customers.

By analyzing online interactions, credit card usage, and trends, retailers can gather valuable insights that mitigate risk and inform your business decisions. For marketing purposes, social scraping enables retailers to identify local influencers, track community interests, and develop personalised experiences that resonate.

But even more important is using social scraping to inform your business decisions. Will our store work well in this location? What stores do our local customers want to see?

Conclusion:

The notion that retail is dead is a limited perspective; in reality, there are numerous stores that are thriving more than ever before. By harnessing the power of the 3 S’s, retailers can ignite a retail revolution that embraces local culture and creates thriving retail ecosystems that benefit both the local community and beyond.