5 phygital stores that are revolutionizing retail Comments Off on 5 phygital stores that are revolutionizing retail 70103

Alice Wonders2 de May de 2025 10:0019 de October de 2026

The phygital concept is transforming retail, bringing together the best of the physical and digital worlds to create immersive, personalized experiences at the point of sale (POS). By combining technology, innovative design and real-time interaction, some stores are taking the customer experience to a whole new level.

Check out five phygital stores that are revolutionizing retail:

1. Bandai Namco Cross Store: a paradise for Japanese pop culture fans

If you’re a fan of anime, games and collectibles, you’ll love the Bandai Namco Cross Store in the United States. Following the success of the London location, this megastore in Industry City brings all of the company’s iconic brands together under one roof:

10 official spaces dedicated to exclusive Bandai Namco products;
Anime and gaming collectibles and figures;
Exclusive card games, such as the One Piece Card Game;
The nostalgic return of Tamagotchis;
PAC-MAN, Tekken and Dragon Ball merchandise.

Located in Industry City’s Japan Village, the store offers an immersive experience, complete with a Japanese market, food stalls, a sake shop and much more. More than just a point of sale, the Cross Store is a place to experience the Bandai Namco universe in an authentic, interactive way.

2. Adore Beauty: technology and personalization in brick-and-mortar retail

Adore Beauty, known for revolutionizing beauty e-commerce, has expanded its strategy into physical stores. Its Melbourne location is a true hub of technology and personalized experience.

The store features the Observ 520x, which performs a detailed digital skin analysis for personalized recommendations; an event and masterclass space that brings customers and brands closer together; and more than 300 brands, creating a complete assortment for different consumer profiles.

By investing in an interactive environment, Adore Beauty reinforces its commitment to innovation and expertise in the beauty industry.

3. Nike House of Innovation: The Future of Retail in New York

Located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the Nike House of Innovation redefines the brick-and-mortar store concept with six floors of technology and interactive design.

The space features mobile payments and access to information via QR codes; digitally activated, customized Scenic mannequin bases; and multisensory environments that connect shoppers directly to the brand.

By combining digital and physical elements, the Nike House of Innovation is an example of high-performance phygital retail

4. Jacquemus Boutique in Paris: phygital gaining momentum

The Jacquemus boutique on Avenue Montaigne in Paris is an invitation to interactivity and immersive experiences. With a storefront window featuring a vintage computer displaying the message “site down,” the space encourages people to explore the store in person.

The space also boasts a minimalist, luxurious design that showcases the products like works of art, along with a facade of large windows that flood the space with light and reinforce the brand’s modern aesthetic. The store turns shopping into a sensory experience that blends technology, design and exclusivity.

5. Bauducco’s Ecoparada: experience and interactivity across 1,000 m²

Bauducco’s Ecoparada is a concept store that takes interactivity to another level. Spanning more than 1,000 m², the space offers an immersive dive into the brand’s history and production, all through:

Custom panettone making in a playful, interactive space;
Big screens with headphones, allowing visitors to watch the story of Bauducco;
Live panettone production, bringing consumers closer to the brand.

Ecoparada Bauducco is an example of how phygital can turn the POS into a space for experience and connection with customers.

Conclusion

Phygital retail is redefining the point of sale, creating immersive, interactive experiences that engage consumers in innovative ways. By integrating technology, personalization and interactivity, these stores show that the future of retail is a perfect blend of physical and digital.

Whether through personalized analyses, interactive storefronts or digital art installations, brands that invest in phygital are creating new ways to drive engagement and loyalty. Keep an eye on these trends and follow along as retail continues to evolve in the years ahead!

#futureofretailphygitalphygital storesstores

Previous Article#WonderNews: Sensory Experiences; Using Data in Retail (and More!)Next Article5 Reasons to Invest in a Vending Machine

Experience: The New Competitive Advantage 0 110

Alice Wonders5 de October de 2026 20:005 de October de 2026

Experiência imersiva em espaço tecnológico como diferencial competitivo para marcas

For a long time, experience took a back seat when it came to competitive advantage. Many brands competed on what was easiest to measure: price, product, features, reach, and technology.

Today, those elements still matter. But they are less and less enough to guarantee differentiation.

The real battle is happening somewhere else: in the ability to create experiences that are relevant, Technology has become more accessible. Artificial intelligence has accelerated creation and personalization processes. Products, services, and features can be replicated faster than ever. And in a landscape of information overload, capturing someone’s attention is only the first challenge.

The real battle is happening somewhere else: in the ability to create experiences that are relevant, meaningful, and memorable.

When different brands can offer similar products, technologies, and features, the way a company makes people feel can become a competitive advantage that is hard to replicate.

That’s why, today, experience is no longer just an add-on. It now plays a strategic role in creating value for both brands and consumers.

The challenge of competitive advantage in retail

Consumers have never had so many options. They can compare prices in seconds, find alternatives for virtually any product, and access similar experiences across different brands.

Technology, which once served as a major competitive advantage, has also become more democratic.

An artificial intelligence tool, an interactive screen, or an immersive experience, for example, is no longer necessarily new in and of itself. The result is a landscape in which many brands can offer similar kinds of products, technology, or interaction.

Which raises an important question:

What makes a person choose, remember, and connect with a brand when so many others can offer something similar?

The answer lies in experience.

When we talk about brand experiences, it’s common to think of technology right away:

Projections;
Augmented reality;
Artificial intelligence;
Sensors;
Interactive screens;
Immersive environments.

All of these resources can transform the way a person interacts with a brand. But technology alone doesn’t create a relevant experience.

A screen can grab attention. A projection can surprise. An installation can generate shares.

But a truly powerful experience needs a purpose.

It must address a brand need and, above all, make sense to the people living that moment.

How do you turn experience into a competitive advantage?

Creating relevant experiences doesn’t simply mean adding more technology to touchpoints. It means starting with strategy.

That’s why we’ve put together some best practices for turning experience into a competitive advantage.

1. Understand what the brand wants to evoke

Before choosing a technology or designing an installation, you need to understand what perception the

Before choosing a technology or designing an installation, you need to understand what perception the brand wants to build.

Do you want to spark delight? Curiosity? Belonging? Discovery? Trust?

The desired emotion helps guide the entire experience and ensures that every element has a role within the journey.

2. Understand how people behave

An experience is only relevant when it speaks to the people on the other side.

That’s why understanding habits, expectations, needs, and behaviors is essential to creating interactions that make sense — rather than experiences that merely grab attention.

The better a brand knows its audience, the better it can build relevant, personalized experiences.

3. Use technology with purpose

Technology should solve a problem or amplify an idea.

It can make content more interactive, create new ways to participate, personalize a journey, or turn a space into a dynamic experience.

But there’s one key point: technology needs to serve a bigger narrative.

It’s this combination of strategy, creativity, and technology that turns a tech feature into a meaningful experience.

4. Create something people want to experience

The experience needs to invite participation.

The more the audience goes from being mere spectators to becoming part of the experience, the greater the potential for connecting with the brand.

The goal isn’t just to create something that’s seen, but something that’s lived, remembered, and shared.

5. Think beyond the moment

An experience doesn’t end when the person leaves the space.

It can live on in conversations, on social media, in photos, in memories, and in the way that person comes to see the brand.

That’s why experiences need to be designed as part of a journey — not as isolated activations.

This perspective expands the potential of experience as a competitive advantage, connecting the physical moment to the brand’s other touchpoints.

Experience as a competitive advantage

In an increasingly competitive market, simply offering something new may not be enough.

The real advantage lies in the ability to create something relevant for people.

Experience can turn a product into a story, a space into a point of connection, and an interaction into a memory.

And that takes more than technology. It takes understanding the audience, setting clear goals, and building a cohesive journey between brand, space, and people.

Recent research reinforces this shift. PwC points out that price and quality are increasingly becoming baseline requirements, while personalized, meaningful experiences are gaining importance in building value and loyalty.

That’s why thinking of experience as a competitive advantage doesn’t mean abandoning product, price, or technology. It means connecting those elements to something bigger: an experience with purpose.

Turn technology into experience with Alice Wonders

At Alice Wonders, we believe technology only makes sense when there’s a story to tell, a connection to create, and an experience to build.

That’s why we develop experiences that combine strategy, creativity, technology, and design to turn physical spaces into points of connection between brands and people.

From concept to execution, we create experiences designed to generate more than interaction: we want to create moments that spark emotions, build connections, and stay in people’s memories.

Because in a market where technology is becoming more and more accessible, the real competitive advantage lies in knowing what to do with it.

Is your brand ready to stop just being seen and start being experienced?

Get to know Alice Wonders and discover how to turn technology into experiences that make sense — and make people remember.

Main Character Spaces: learn how to create a personalized space 0 766

Alice Wonders28 de September de 2026 19:4828 de September de 2026

Espaço imersivo com pessoa no centro de uma experiência personalizada

Have you ever walked into a space and felt like everything in it had been designed just for you? From the way the elements are arranged to the way an experience unfolds, some environments manage to create an almost instant connection with the people inside them. And that doesn’t happen by chance.

At a time when consumers are already used to personalized experiences in the digital world, physical spaces need to evolve too. More than grabbing attention, they need to create identification, interaction, and a sense of belonging.

This is where the concept of Main Character Spaces comes in: spaces that put consumers at the center of the experience and make them truly feel like the protagonist.

Today, we’ll take a deeper look at this concept and explore how to create spaces that spark instant identification with your audience. Let’s dive in!

What are Main Character Spaces?

The concept of Main Character Spaces starts from a simple idea: turning the physical space into an experience in which consumers aren’t just spectators, but an active part of the story. That means creating environments where people can interact, discover, choose, and see themselves.

In retail, this approach marks an important shift. The store stops being just a place to display and sell products and becomes a space for building relationships between brand and consumer.

And to make that happen, simply adding technology isn’t enough. An environment can be visually striking, generate photos, and get attention on social media. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it has created a meaningful experience.

The difference lies in intention. While an Instagrammable space is designed mainly to be seen and shared, a Main Character Space is designed to be lived. The question is no longer just “What do we want to show?” but “What do we want this person to experience?”

This change in perspective puts consumers at the center of every decision and turns the space into a brand experience tool.

What makes a space feel like it was made for me?

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for creating a Main Character Space. But certain elements can help build that feeling of personalization and connection. Here are a few of them:

Personalization

When an experience takes the visitor’s interests, needs, or choices into account, it becomes more relevant. Targeted content, recommendations, and adaptive journeys are some examples of how to create that perception.

Interactivity

Letting consumers take part in the process and interact with their own journey transforms the experience. Responsive screens, sensors, projections, and other technologies can make the environment react to the movements and choices of whoever is interacting with it. Visitors stop merely observing and start shaping part of the experience.

Immersion

A space can also tell a story. Architecture, lighting, sound, audiovisual content, and technology can work together to create an atmosphere that envelops consumers and transports them into the brand’s narrative.

Identification

Perhaps the most important element is helping people see themselves in the experience. When the space reflects their desires, needs, or lifestyle, a sense of belonging emerges. That’s when the consumer thinks, “This was made for me.”

How do you create a Main Character Space?

To create a consumer-centric experience, you need to look at the space strategically. Here are a few steps that can help:

Know your audience: understand their behaviors, needs, and expectations;
Define the experience you want to deliver: think about the emotion consumers should take away with them: discovery, belonging, surprise, trust, or inspiration;
Build a journey: plan what happens from the moment people arrive until they leave the space;
Create moments of participation: the more consumers can interact and make decisions, the more they become the protagonist;
Integrate physical and digital: the experience can start online, happen in the physical space, and continue afterward, creating a more seamless phygital journey;
Use technology with purpose: choose features that truly add to the experience — not just because they’re innovative.

The audience’s space and the future of retail

The rise of Main Character Spaces is part of a broader transformation in retail. Today, consumers aren’t just looking for products. They’re looking for experiences, convenience, identification, and moments that make sense within their journey.

That’s why physical spaces are taking on a new role: they’re no longer just points of sale, but relationship platforms. It’s in this context that concepts like experiential retail, immersive experiences, personalization, and phygital are becoming increasingly relevant.

Technology expands the possibilities, but the goal remains essentially human: creating connections. Creating a Main Character Space means shifting your point of view. It means thinking not only about what the brand wants to communicate, but about what the consumer needs to experience.

At Alice Wonders, we turn technology, creativity, and strategy into experiences that connect people and brands. We create interactive spaces and digital solutions that help companies transform the point of sale into an environment that’s more relevant, immersive, and aligned with their audience’s expectations.

Because when technology meets purpose, a space becomes more than just a place. It becomes an experience. Want to create a space that makes your audience feel like it was made just for them? Click here and talk to Alice Wonders.