The Phygital Model in Bank Branches: Is This the End of In-Person Service? Comments Off on The Phygital Model in Bank Branches: Is This the End of In-Person Service? 297

Alice Wonders15 de September de 2026 21:5915 de September de 2026

Agência bancária Itaú Uniclass como exemplo de transformação do atendimento físico

When digital banks exploded onto the market, many believed it would spell the end of bank branches. Yet they’re still standing and, contrary to what people expected, they’ve learned to adapt to the new landscape.

Even with the growth of banking apps, the demand for in-person service at decisive moments isn’t going away. If anything, it keeps growing. Unfortunately, in sensitive situations like attempted scams, or when making big decisions like financing a home, in-person service at bank branches remains essential.

Cases like these show us that in-person service is far from over, but it is being redefined. The future is the union of both worlds: it’s Phygital. In this article, you’ll learn what the Phygital model is, why bank branches still matter, and how the banking industry is balancing technology and human empathy.

Enjoy the read!

The myth of the end of physical bank branches

Before analyzing whether in-person service is really living on borrowed time, we need to clarify a term that has become key in retail and in the financial sector: Phygital. The word comes from the fusion of Physical and Digital.

In this context, it’s not about choosing between an app and a branch, but about creating a journey where the two environments complement each other seamlessly, allowing customers to start a transaction on their phone and complete it in person, or vice versa, in a completely natural way.

The arrival of fintechs and the consolidation of mobile banking sparked a true revolution in the way we relate to money. The phone has become the main “branch” in consumers’ pockets.

The friction of having to travel, take a number, and wait in line just to check a statement, pay an electric bill, or make a transfer was eliminated almost instantly. With innovations like Pix, facial biometric authentication, and 24/7 chat support, everyday transactions have become 100% digital.

But if that’s the case…

Why do customers still seek out physical bank branches?

If technology has solved everyday red tape, why haven’t bank branches closed their doors for good? The answer lies in the complexity of decisions and the nature of human relationships.

When a decision involves a high degree of uncertainty, a large sum of money, or a moment of crisis, a smartphone screen often isn’t enough. Taking out a 30-year mortgage, structuring high-value investments, renegotiating a critical debt, or resolving a serious fraud issue all require the human factor.

Empathy, face-to-face contact, and the reassurance of being heard by a specialist provide a psychological comfort that no algorithm can fully replicate.

Beyond the emotional and advisory aspects, there’s a crucial point of social responsibility and demographics. Significant portions of the population still face barriers in digital literacy, lack of access to high-speed connections, or usability limitations on smartphones. For these customers, the physical branch isn’t a luxury; it’s their only guaranteed point of access to financial citizenship.

So the branch isn’t dying because of digital; it’s simply shifting from an operational space to a hub for relationships, advice, and support.

What is a phygital bank in practice?

A truly Phygital experience lets customers start their service through the app and finish it in person, or go the other way around, without having to repeat any information.

For example, a customer can start a loan simulation in the app, upload their documents and, upon arriving at the branch, the specialist already has access to the history of that interaction. Likewise, a conversation started in person can continue later through the app, keeping all the information and context of the service.

Another approach is to combine digital self-service with access to specialized support right inside the branch. Customers can use kiosks or interactive screens to carry out certain transactions, get guidance from artificial intelligence or, when needed, be connected to a specialist via video call.

This combination preserves the convenience of digital without eliminating the human factor. Customers have the autonomy to handle simple matters, but can quickly reach a professional when the situation calls for more personalized guidance.

In this way, the branch is no longer just a service point and becomes a bridge between technology and human relationships, offering different levels of autonomy and support within a single journey.

AW bringing together the best of both worlds

By combining experience design, technology, content, and strategy, Alice Wonders creates journeys that bring the digital and physical worlds closer together, not as independent channels, but as parts of a single experience.

Whether through interactive environments, immersive experiences, personalized journeys, or solutions that connect physical spaces to digital channels, the goal is to create Phygital experiences that reduce friction, foster relationships, and put the customer at the center of the journey.

More than bringing technology into the branch, it’s about rethinking the role of physical space in the relationship between brands and people. Alice Wonders turns technology into experience and physical spaces into points of connection between brands, people, and possibilities.

Want to learn how to transform bank branches and other physical spaces into consumer experience hubs? Click here and get in touch with us!

bank branchesphygitalphygital storesstores

Previous Article5 Brazilian stores innovating the in-store experienceNext ArticleSpaces That Bring People Closer: How Itaú Bank Turns Relationships into Experiences

The Briefing That Kills a Great Experience 0 89

Alice Wonders7 de October de 2026 15:007 de October de 2026

Briefing estratégico para desenvolvimento de experiências de marca

“We need a campaign.” “Let’s do an event.” “We need an activation.” “How about building an app?” Almost all of these requests share the same first step: the brief.

In day-to-day marketing, phrases like these tend to show up as the starting point for new projects. The problem is that, more often than not, they don’t present the challenge. They already present the answer.

And when the solution comes before the problem, creativity starts out with less room to explore.

That doesn’t mean a campaign, an event or an activation is a bad choice. The real question is whether it is, in fact, the best answer to what the company needs to transform. After all, it’s entirely possible to execute a solution perfectly and still solve the wrong problem.

Before the “what,” comes the “why”

An effective brief shouldn’t start with the deliverable. It should start with the context.

What’s happening?;
Why does it matter to the business?;
Who is affected?;
What is that person going through?;
Is there a behavior or perception that needs to change?;
What has already been tried?;
And what don’t we know yet about this challenge?

These questions help turn a request into an opportunity for investigation.

“We need to create an activation to increase store traffic,” for example, already defines a big part of the path. But realizing that a significant number of people move through the space without engaging with a particular category opens up a far more interesting discussion: how can we make this journey more relevant?

An activation may still be the answer. But now it’s one possibility among many — not a decision made before the problem was understood.

A good brief opens up possibilities

There’s an important difference between giving direction and dictating the solution. A good brief needs to be clear about the challenge, the audience, the objectives, the context and the constraints. At the same time, it should leave room for the team to question assumptions and explore different paths.

It’s precisely this combination that can make the creative process more powerful.

When the brief says “do X to achieve Y,” the discussion tends to focus on how to do X as well as possible. When it says “we need to achieve Y because this is the scenario we’re facing,” the question becomes “what’s the best way to get there?”

It may seem like a small difference, but it can completely change the outcome.

The solution might lie in a physical experience, in content, technology, service, communication, environment, journey or a combination of different possibilities. The format stops being the starting point and becomes a consequence of the strategy.

So where does experience come in?

With whoever is on the other side.

A good experience doesn’t come only from what the brand wants to communicate or offer. It needs to take into account the context of the people who will live it. What do they expect? What could create friction? What’s relevant at that moment? What role does the brand play in that journey?

When these questions make it into the brief, the project stops being just about a deliverable and becomes about a transformation.

This perspective also helps avoid one of the most common mistakes in experience projects: creating something interesting for the company but not very relevant to people.

An idea can be beautiful, innovative and technically flawless. But if it doesn’t respond to a real need or doesn’t make sense in that context, it’s unlikely to be a good experience.

The brief doesn’t need to come with a ready-made idea

Perhaps this is the main shift in perspective: the brief isn’t there to say exactly what should be created. It’s there to create the conditions for the best idea to emerge.

That means spending more time understanding the problem before rushing to the solution. It means questioning requests, investigating behaviors, acknowledging constraints and leaving room for possibilities that weren’t on the radar yet.

In the end, the more clarity there is about the problem, the more freedom there is to think about the solution.

This is the mindset Alice Wonders brings to turning business challenges into experiences. Combining strategy, creativity and a people-centered approach, we help brands break away from ready-made solutions and find more relevant paths for what truly needs to be transformed.

Because a good experience may start with an idea. But a relevant experience starts with a good question.

Want to uncover new possibilities for one of your brand’s challenges? Talk to Alice Wonders.

In the Age of AI, What Still Needs to Be Human? 0 92

Alice Wonders6 de October de 2026 15:006 de October de 2026

Experiência imersiva que representa a conexão entre inteligência artificial e fator humano.

You know when you chat with an AI chatbot, get exactly the information you needed, and still feel like something was missing? Or when an AI-generated image is technically perfect but doesn’t stir any emotion at all?

These examples point to one of the biggest challenges of the AI era: the more technology we have at our disposal, the more valuable the traits that are still essentially human become.

Artificial intelligence already writes, creates images, analyzes data, personalizes content and automates processes. But with so many possibilities, a question arises: if technology can do more and more for us, what still needs to be done by people?

With that in mind, today we’ll look at what still needs to be human, even in the AI era, and how to get there without competing with technology, but by using it as a business ally. Enjoy the read!

AI has changed the game

To start, we need to understand that artificial intelligence has brought speed, scale and efficiency to companies in virtually every industry. Today, brands can analyze behavior, personalize journeys, generate content and automate interactions in a matter of seconds.

The problem is that when the same tools are available to everyone, technology alone stops being a differentiator. If any brand can use AI to personalize a message, generate an image or automate customer service, what will make one of them memorable?

That’s where the human factor comes in. AI can identify patterns, but interpreting context is another story. It can recognize emotions, but not experience them. It can generate possibilities, but it can’t decide on its own which of them actually makes sense for a brand. It can personalize an interaction, but it doesn’t necessarily create a connection.

In the end, memorable experiences are built on something that goes beyond technology: feeling, meaning and identification.

What still needs to be human?

Now that we understand how AI operates and how it can support a business, the question remains: what still needs to be human? So we’ve put together a few areas below where AI can’t perform as well as a human. Take a look:

Feeling: an AI can identify that a certain experience has the potential to move people. But it’s the person who feels surprise, nostalgia, belonging or delight. And it’s these emotions that turn an interaction into a memory;
Interpreting: data shows what people do. But understanding why they do it takes context, background and sensitivity;
Creating meaning: artificial intelligence can generate thousands of ideas. But an experience doesn’t become relevant just because it’s new. It needs purpose, it needs to align with the brand and it needs to make sense for whoever is living that moment.
Building connections: an unexpected detail, service that shows genuine care or an experience that feels designed especially for someone can create bonds that go far beyond the transaction. And the more automated our relationships become, the more value there may be in precisely these genuinely human moments.

What if AI made experiences more human?

Is there an ideal world where technology and human experiences support each other in perfect harmony? Well, in brick-and-mortar retail, this discussion becomes even more relevant. Instead of using artificial intelligence just to automate processes, brands can use it to enhance experiences.

Imagine spaces that adapt content to each visitor, experiences that personalize journeys in real time or environments that respond to people’s behavior.

Technology is there, but it doesn’t have to be the star. The star is the person living the experience. That’s why the question shouldn’t just be “where can we add AI?” but rather: “How can AI make this experience more relevant for the people who are here?”

Like other technologies, artificial intelligence is likely to become increasingly accessible. The differentiator, then, won’t be who uses AI, but who knows how to use it with purpose. That means starting with the consumer, understanding their behavior, defining what the brand wants to spark and only then choosing the technology that can make that experience possible.

Because AI can expand possibilities. But it’s the human perspective that turns possibilities into meaning.

AW: technology to create more human experiences

At Alice Wonders, we believe technology only makes sense when there’s a purpose behind it.

That’s why we combine technology, creativity and strategy to transform physical spaces into experiences that bring brands and people closer together.

Want to discover how to use technology to create more human and memorable experiences for your brand?

Click here to learn more about Alice Wonders’ work.