Off Brand
Retailers Are Now Making Stores A Lot More Like the Internet
A new startup is working with department stores to give them a ‘third wave’ retail boost
Even with Black Friday looming, there’s not a lot of holiday thrill emanating from the traditional retail sector these days. The liquidation of Barneys is just the latest plot point in what’s become a very familiar story: department stores and big-box chains suffer as shoppers (especially younger ones) do more and more of their buying online. We’re deep into the age of e-commerce now, and the shopping excitement all seems to be digital.
And yet… surely it’s too soon to write off physical retail completely. Online sales still account for only about 10% of retail transactions. Maybe there’s hope yet for putting a bit more pizzazz back in analog shopping.
“A brand can learn that 100 people walked into the space, 20 spent some time looking at your product, five actually demoed it and, and three converted and bought it.”
Among those betting on, and trying to enable, this outcome is a startup called b8ta. In short, it’s luring innovative, digital-first brands into physical…
