Meaningful and memorable shopping experiences increase brand loyalty, and as a Retail Activation and Brand Experience we at Northbanks have five golden rules:

• Stay relevant to your brand followers
• Connect with your brand followers
• Being good enough isn’t good enough
• Synergy between digital and physical
• It’s not more, more, more is better

With this in mind, in 2024, we expect to see three major trends coming through:

1. Personalisation

As an agency connecting brands with shoppers, creating meaningful impact online and IRL has never been more crucial. This will be a key future trend.

2. Relational vs. Transactional

Consumers seek brands that take a stand and champion values that align with their own. Brands must ensure that sustainable practices are carried out throughout their business operations. Store design is a crucial, yet an often forgotten element to achieving genuine change – this change is beneficial for both the environment and to drive long-term customer loyalty. This focus will become more pertinent for brands as consumers boycotting for social issues will become more prevalent.

3. Retailtainment

Creating a memorable experience for in-store shoppers through engaging activities, sounds, motion or special settings that create a mood which motivates buying is set to be a huge trend in 2024. In a time when eCommerce is growing so fast, retailtainment is here to bring physical retail back to life and start creating the kind of customer engagement that drives people back to the stores and puts a smile on their faces.