Freitag store, Shanghai, China
Barcelona – On the closing day of the show, there was a battle between the digital and the physical, as well as a push for purposeful retail.
Mango revealed its sustainable supply chain and announced the imminent introduction of digital passports for its garments. Stephan Pretorius, chief technology officer at communications multinational WPP, championed the benefits of generative AI for the advertising industry, and commerce strategy consultancy Mula Digital mapped out the hype that retailers should be jumping on: privacy and TikTok are in, the metaverse is out.
Moving from e-commerce to the hyperphysical, John Ryan, managing director of omnichannel platform Newstores, shared his top 10 recently opened spaces. Making the line-up was the Freitag store in Shanghai, which the Zurich bag manufacturer designed to look and operate like a factory, with consumers able to design their own bag from used truck tarpaulins. Another innovation came from mobility brand Lynk & Co’s experiential showroom, which is reminiscent of a concept store or a members’ club rather than a showroom, and paves the way for disruptive automotive retail spaces providing sensorial awe-inducing experiences to attract a new wave of consumers.
