Navigating the Retail Landscape in 2026: Insights from Retail Specialist Ian Scott

Andrea Duckett • March 29, 2026

How can retailers’ structure for success in the year ahead? That’s the question we posed to retail specialist Ian Scott. With over 20 years’ experience, Ian has a unique understanding of customer behavior, retail design, and industry trends, making him the perfect person to share his insights.

 

1. Customers are consistently inconsistent

 

Human behavior presents a conundrum for retailers. On a macro scale, certain traits are inherent, but it would be a mistake to believe people are predictable.

 

“90% of good retail involves understanding human behavior, which is often inconsistent,” Ian explains.

 

It’s important to consider customers’ instinctive responses and habitual behaviors. Although external influences can cause temporary behavior shifts, customers are social creatures, compelled to fall back into shopping habits that have remained consistent for decades.

 

The pandemic was a prime example; COVID-19 lockdowns did lead to a spike in e-commerce traffic, yet those inflated numbers were not maintained once stores reopened, and shoppers could voluntarily engage in physical retail once again.

 

Psychological principles endure. Customers in the West, for example, naturally absorb visual information more quickly if the image is placed on the left and text on the right. The majority are also at risk of experiencing sensory overwhelm within the first few meters after stepping inside a store. This area, which Ian has nicknamed “the decompression zone” should be designed to invite further exploration rather than cluttered with product displays.

 

Understanding these nuances and curating store experiences in line with innate customer behavior offers an immediate advantage in a competitive retail environment.

2. AI should be used sparingly and strategically

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is undeniably moving beyond novelty and towards practical application. But it’s not a silver bullet.

 

To have a positive impact on the customer experience while protecting your brand integrity, Ian cautions that AI must be integrated in ways that don’t undermine the aspect of physical retail that matters most: the people.

 

Rather than investing in AI with the intention or reducing team headcount, think of the ways it can provide a support system for your employees.

 

AI can transform product generalists into specialists by delivering in-depth information via earpiece, increase customer satisfaction by providing real-time stock levels, plan staffing levels based on trends in footfall over time, and dynamically adjust characteristics of the store environment such as music or lighting based on current weather conditions.

 

3. Physical retail isn’t dead

 

A passionate advocate for physical retail, Ian has identified three reasons why e-commerce will never be able to replicate to supersede the in-store experience.

 

Physical store locations invite customers to touch and feel your products; add value through human connection; and offer retailers upsell opportunities by capitalizing on customers’ peripheral vision.

 

Add in immersive experiences, exclusive product ranges, special events, and personalized service and it’s easy to see why physical stores still have an important role to play in the retail landscape. It’s also why technology should be introduced that enhances what makes stores so special rather than simply attempting to simulate an online experience.

 

Symbiotic retail, Ian ventures, offers the most potential when it comes to futureproofing physical retail. This approach seamlessly blends digital and physical experiences to benefit the customer, eliminating silos to provide a cohesive experience. Examples range from enabling click and collect and accurate stock level checks to offering personalized mobile offers when customers cross the threshold.

 

4. Storytelling is essential

 

Not only is brand storytelling one of the most powerful tools in physical retail, but it’s also one of the most versatile. It is most effective when crafted to match the shopping experience; an expansive piece of content that is designed to prolong dwell time won’t evoke the desired response in a grab-and-go environment.

 

In most store environments combining technical detail with storytelling is far more impactful than solely focusing on the facts.

 

“65% of human conversation is gossip and storytelling,” Ian clarifies. “It attaches emotion to information while increasing the likelihood of remembrance and sharing.”   

 

These stories can be shared in several ways. Take Søstrene Grene, which has become known for its handwritten signage, ostensibly curated by characters Anna and Clara. These signs bring the brand’s story to life while reflecting its whimsical sensibility. The advertisements shared by Jack Daniel’s on the London Underground are another long-form example, capitalizing on the captive audience to share the brand’s origin story in a lyrical and poetic voice.

 

Longer-form storytelling won’t be appropriate in certain scenarios and signage should always be aligned with the amount of time a customer is likely to invest in engaging with it.

 

“Imagine a grocery store. The same shopper will spend different amounts of time in different product categories, which impacts how information should be presented,” explains Ian. “A pint of milk might take half a second to choose while whiskey can take up to 75 seconds as it’s often purchased as a gift and the cost of error is higher.”

 

Visual signage is not the only medium retailers can use to tell their stories. Luxury retail tends to favor a minimalist store layout and one-to-one consultative selling. In this environment, storytelling can be conveyed aurally with employees empowered to adjust the amount of detail they share based on how it’s received by each individual customer.

 

5. Target shopping missions not demographics

 

Customer profiling and demographic breakdowns may drive conversions in e-commerce, but physical retail requires more nuance. 

 

“Store layouts and visual merchandising are often tailored to age-based categorizations such as Gen Z or millennial,” shares Ian. “However, these are predominantly arbitrary boundaries beloved by consultancies. Retailers should be prioritizing individual shopping missions rather than generalized groupings.”

 

Focusing on shopping missions forces brands to analyze customers’ motivations and curate their spaces to meet their needs. Customers can have multiple missions; a supermarket shopper, for example, can have three different missions – speed, value, and quality – in the same week.

 

When retailers cater to these multiple missions, they design experiences that enhance customer satisfaction and encourage repeat visits rather than creating a store that appeals to their target demographic but doesn’t deliver real value.

How to appeal to a new luxury customer

April 13, 2026
How to appeal to the new luxury customer Can brands appeal to the new generation of luxury customers without alienating their established base? Mood Media’s Head of Creative Barry McPhillips shares his insights into how both heritage and hypebeast brands are navigating this question and shaping their in-store experiences in response New Generation, New Expectations How do we define today’s luxury customer? The traditional customer base for heritage brands is still a powerful market segment; these shoppers value loyalty, personalised service, emotive in-store experiences, and purchases that make them feel special. But a new generation of luxury shoppers is disrupting the status quo. “Their expectations are very different. More immediacy, more theatre, more drama, more online,” explains Barry McPhillips, Head of Creative at Mood Media. Loyalty is no longer a priority. In fact, the product isn’t even necessarily the most important aspect of a luxury purchase for these customers. They’re more interested in buying into the feeling it gives them. This shift means that the luxury shopping experience has expanded beyond the boutique. It’s no longer just about curating exceptional in-store environments, the customer journey both pre and post purchase is equally important. It also presents a dilemma for brands looking to retain their loyal customers while also engaging the next generation – is it possible to evolve without alienating?

Attracting the next generation of shoppers

By Andrea Duckett • April 1, 2026
How luxury shopping is hoping to attract the next generation of shoppers As luxury retailers look to retain their existing customer base while appealing to new audiences, they are evolving their approach to both their bricks-and-mortar stores and live media experiences. But with Gen Z brand loyalty never guaranteed, will investing in attention grabbing activities be enough to secure the future of the luxury sector? The economic uncertainty of recent years has been challenging for retailers, especially those operating in the luxury space. Richemont (owner of Cartier and Montblanc) saw operating profits drop by 17% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, Gucci’s revenues fell by 25% in the same period, and LVMH group revenues were down 2% in the first nine months of 2024. While engaging existing consumers will be an important part of these brands’ survival strategy, harnessing the spending power of Gen Z will be essential if the luxury industry is to navigate this difficult period and secure future prosperity. Currently aged between 13 and 28, Gen Z is the audience luxury retailers are hoping to attract - and for good reason. Gen Z spending is projected to reach $12 trillion by 2030 and their rate of spending on luxury goods is expected to be three times faster than other generations. But perhaps one of the most interesting stats to look at when considering how luxury shopping can adapt to serve Gen Z shoppers is that in-store mass merchandise and grocery purchases account for nearly 50% of their total spending. Gen Z is truly the omnichannel generation. While digital channels will continue to be an important driver of both online and offline sales, luxury brands are increasingly re-evaluating the role their retail spaces can play in securing the attention – and loyalty – of Gen Z shoppers. Capitalising on the potential of live media – immersive, real-world experiences designed to forge connections with new and existing shoppers – can help brands find the sweet spot between strategy and spectacle.

The impact of digital content and personalised experiences

By Andrea Duckett • March 31, 2026
The impact of digital content and personalised experiences Personalisation is expected to transform physical retail in the coming years, but is anyone doing it right When it comes to adapting digital content to serve a specific audience, there’s a wide gap between ambition and expectation – and customers are more than aware of this discrepancy. In fact, only 23% of shoppers think that retailers are doing a good job when it comes to personalisation.[1] But how can brands bridge the gap? It all starts with understanding customer experience. Content for content’s sake isn’t just a waste of budget, but it also runs the risk of alienating loyal customers. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Several luxury brands are hampered in their efforts to implement digital content effectively; some haven’t built sufficient knowledge of the customer in-store experience, some don’t have buy-in from stakeholders, and some are restricted by budget. Any luxury brand considering using digital content in their retail stores – and potentially personalising that content – should start with four key questions: 1. What is the purpose of this content? 2. In what context will customers experience this content? 3. How will this content impact the customer journey? 4. Does this content complement the store environment? If you don’t have an answer to each of these questions, you’re probably not ready to maximise the opportunity digital content offers. And it is a considerable opportunity; retailers who can effectively leverage personalised digital content in-store are 48% more likely to exceed their revenue goals. So, how can you use digital content effectively?