Over the past two years, a long-standing conversation about the future of brick-and-mortar retail shops has intensified, for rather understandable existential reasons.

With most businesses pivoting to online storefronts and the rest struggling to survive, the actual physical store has been upended as the primary location to sell products, and the old adage of “stack it high, watch it fly” was impossible for a long time.

However, even with companies adapting to online in record numbers, the store itself is still a valuable and often vital part of a store’s sales, and careful store management and commercial retail maintenance can turn a store into a flagship that provides an ideal experience for customers.

This is the philosophy behind store-as-media, where a physical store is essentially treated as a media and marketing platform.

This makes sense, as retail footfall has increased and is expected to continue to increase, and retail stores are still an incredibly effective way to deliver marketing information to people who are already engaged and ready to buy.

Digital screens and signage are a regular feature in most physical stores, and they can be used to full effect to create a range of fantastic customer experiences that make shopping as pleasant and dynamic an experience as possible.

Unlike even a decade ago, the customer base sees digital as the default, but this can be taken full advantage of to create a dynamic, remarkable brand that engages with customers using all of their senses and provides a tactile experience that digital simply cannot provide.

Digital and physical stores have often been seen as adversarial, but by combining the two and taking advantage of the tactile appeal of a physical store, businesses can reach and engage with customers like never before.