Event marketing 1: Beyond the Checkout: Retailtainment and the Era of Experience as Currency

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The Retail Revolution: From Transaction to Theatre

The definition of shopping has completely changed. Across every industry, the physical store is no longer just a place to buy; it’s a stage. Consumers don’t go to transact; they go to belong, feel, and share. This shift is the core of Retailtainment – the powerful fusion of retail and entertainment It transforms a simple point-of-sale into a destination built on emotional connection (Sidely, 2025). Brands like Sephora, Space NK, and Apple aren’t selling products; they are staging unforgettable moments that forge deep, lasting bonds with their audience.

The Phygital Imperative: Where Experience Gets Real

If your brand is going to survive the Age of Convenience, you must recognize that the future isn’t about being faster or cheaper. It’s about being more immersive.

Sensory Storytelling

Retailtainment brings the experience to life by engaging all the senses. Sephora’s legendary queues, for example, demonstrate what Batat (2022) calls sensory storytelling. Every element is curated to deepen memory formation:

  • Sound: Playlist design and music.
  • Smell: Scent diffusion and fragrance testers.
  • Sight: Curated lighting and visual displays.
  • Touch: Tactile excitement and product testers.

This theatricality transforms the simple act of waiting into a fun part of the show. Every intentional detail screams: “This is not ordinary retail.”

Bridging the Digital Gap

The secret to modern Retailtainment is Phygital retail (Zendesk, 2025) – seamlessly bridging the physical and digital worlds. This synergy is mandatory, as over 73% of consumers use multiple channels to inform their purchase decisions (Zappi, 2025).

Retailtainment is now powered by a fusion of three major technological pillars:

  1. Immersive Tech: Immersive technology is moving beyond the “nice-to-have” category. Holographic displays, like those used by H&M to showcase their athletic line, have been shown to increase in-store engagement by 45% (Accio, 2025). This use of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) creates “otherworldly” experiences that drive foot traffic and boost loyalty, especially among Gen Z consumers who crave immersive, interactive moments (StartUs Insights, 2025).
  2. AI-Powered Hyper-Personalisation While the experience must be grand, the interaction must be individual. AI adoption in retail is booming, projected to grow at a 23% CAGR from 2025 to 2030 (StartUs Insights, 2025). Why? Because AI enables hyper-personalisation at scale. Retailers are using AI to analyze in-store behavior and data to tailor content in real-time. Imagine a digital display instantly recognising a returning customer and suggesting exclusive offers based on their purchase history, that’s the future of Retailtainment (Livesignage, 2025). Deloitte highlights that this level of curation and connection will be essential for enhancing customer loyalty in 2025 (Deloitte, 2025).
  3. Digital Signage as Emotional Touchpoint Forget static posters. Digital displays are now central to the sensory storytelling (Batat, 2022) that defines Retailtainment. They are being used to:
  • Gamify the experience: Interactive quizzes, surveys, and prize games to encourage customer participation (Livesignage, 2025).
  • Narrate the brand: Showcase video tutorials, the story behind the products, or user-generated content (UGC).

In short, digital signage has evolved into an emotional touchpoint that inspires action, whether that’s exploring a new product or sharing the experience on social media.

The bottom line? Retailtainment has become the essential stage for modern brand storytelling. (To see how the biggest brands execute this, read more in Case Study 3: Sephora UK, SpaceNK and Apple – Turning Queues into Campaigns

Psychology in the Aisles: The Art of the Linger

For us marketers, the goal of Retailtainment is simple: Increase dwell time and foster emotional patronage motivation (Storefox.ai, 2024). When customers feel good, they buy more. Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman’s research suggests emotions drive around 90% of our decisions (Storefox.ai, 2024).

Successful Retailtainment designs environments that actively manage these emotions:

Strategic Element

Psychological Principle

Brand Example

Curated Lighting

Products in a well-lit display are perceived to be 20% more valuable (Stuller Blog, 2024).

Highlighting hero products with accent lighting. Brands amplify this dopamine rush by engaging multiple senses – a strategy Batat (2022) calls sensory storytelling. Example like sephora store and its store opening where they curated lighting and scent diffusion to live DJ beats and vibrant visuals. Every single element communicates, “This is not ordinary retail.” These multisensory cues are carefully designed to deepen memory formation and transform the act of waiting into a meaningful shared cultural ritual

Scent & Sound

Engaging multiple senses can increase sales by 17% (Stuller Blog, 2024).

Using calming scents (like vanilla) or energetic playlists to control mood.

In-Store Flow (Maze-like Layouts)

The Science of Discovery—unexpected finds release dopamine, making the shopper feel joy (Frank Mayer and Associates, 2019).

The Science of Discovery: Maze-like layouts (like IKEA’s showroom) release dopamine when unexpected finds are made (Frank Mayer and Associates, 2019). Furthermore, products in well-lit displays are perceived as 20% more valuable (Stuller Blog, 2024).

We increase dwell time and create opportunities for impulse buys and memory formation by controlling the customer’s journey. IKEA’s famous showroom path, encouraging impulse buys.

The “Power Wall”

90% of customers turn right upon entering a store. This Power Wall is used to make a strong first impression (Stuller Blog, 2024).

Utilizing the initial entrance area for the most eye-catching, trending displays.

The Queue as Status

Social Proof & Identity: The sight of a long line signals value (Moran, 2024). Customers are willing to wait because they invest emotionally in the feeling of belonging and exclusivity. Queues used to signal inconvenience. Today, they are badges of desire. This is the deeper marketing evolution underway:

·       From transactional retail → to ritualised experience

  • From online convenience → to physical community
  • From product launches → to social proof spectacles

The queue itself becomes a physical manifestation of community and a powerful trigger for herd behavior.

Teaser (The Anticipation Amplifier)

Dopamine Hit: The emotional build-up before an event is the “emotional ignition point” (Smith & Hanover, 2016). Anticipation releases dopamine, which can be more pleasurable than the purchase itself (Zaltman, 2016).

The teaser is a neuromarketing amplifier, locking a positive emotional memory that converts into long-term loyalty.

Content customer as a medium (storytelling)

When the retailment done successfully, customer itself become the medium of content. They are happily record what they feel good about the brand such as “First in line” videos, Reaction clips at the doors opening, Unboxing of the first goodie bag or Livestream countdowns

This user-generated content (UGC) fuels what Smilansky (2009) calls “the extended event” the digital afterlife of a live activation.

In this feedback loop.

This User-Generated Content (UGC)—from “First in line” videos to unboxing clips—fuels what Smilansky (2009) calls “the extended event,” the digital afterlife of a live activation.

The Feedback Loop: Physical participation sparks emotion $\rightarrow$ Emotional moments spark social sharing $\rightarrow$ Social sharing fuels FOMO and further attendance. This is how the queue becomes a self-sustaining marketing engine that boosts reach and perception.

 

Lessons for SMEs How to Replicate the Strategy

Action Plan: Your Roadmap to Retailtainment

You don’t need a global beauty empire nor Apple’s budget to harness queue psychology. Davis (2018) emphasises that SMEs can translate experiential tactics at smaller scales -whether launching a café, a boutique, or a local brand, the same playbook applies. Here’s how we recommend you create high-impact, low-cost Retailtainment for your business:

  1. Make the Moment the Product: Tease and build suspense before you announce a product. Don’t just announce a sale; host a themed, limited-access Workshop, not a Sale (Infobip, 2025).
  2. Reward Early Adopters Give the first arrivals something to share – samples, photos, stories. Make your queue camera-ready.
  3. Curate the Wait: Don’t let people stand around awkwardly. Staff your queue like a stage with hosts and micro-interactions. Consider live music or small samples to elevate the experience.
  4. Think Experience Amplification Even non-buyers who attend or watch your event expand reach and perception.
  5. Scale it Smartly: You don’t need a thousand fans; a visible line of 30–50 outside your pop-up can still signal exclusivity and worth.
  6. Localise Target areas with strong footfall and community i.e. universities, malls, local festivals.
  7. Offer Tangible Incentives Limited editions, early access, or event-only gifts reinforce the value of participation.
  8. Turn Everything into Content Capital: Document Everything! Livestream, film reactions, and use QR codes to link physical excitement to digital follow-ups. Every queue, every workshop, becomes valuable content that extends your story.
  9. Link Physical + Digital Use QR codes, online follow-ups, and social sharing to convert physical excitement into long-term engagement and data capital.
  10. Embrace Phygital Pop-Ups: Use temporary, highly themed pop-ups to test concepts, generate buzz, and create high-FOMO content (Accio, 2025).
  11. Gamify Loyalty: Integrate game-like elements i.e quizzes, challenges, or scavenger hunts into your app or in-store displays to make shopping fun and reward participation.
  12. Host Workshops, Not Sales: Instead of a generic sale, host an in-store event, workshop, or expert Q&A. This builds community, reinforces expertise, and converts customers who seek authentic experiences over information overload (Infobip, 2025).
  13. Make Returns an Experience: Don’t view returns as a cost; turn them into engagement opportunities. Offer free samples or exclusive coupons when customers return items in-store, encouraging additional purchases (Tinuiti, 2025).
  14. Focus on Themed Storytelling: Design your displays to sell a lifestyle, not just furniture (CrownTV, 2025). Mimic IKEA’s showroom strategy by creating immersive spaces that transport the customer and make them crave the whole “vibe.”

Conclusion: The New Marketing Frontier

The Retail Revolution is over. The winners are those who realize that the physical store’s purpose is to be the most engaging, fun, and memorable channel available. Retailtainment is the stage where your brand story is performed live. It turns passive shoppers into active participants, driving brand advocacy and building emotional equity far more valuable than a fleeting transaction. If your physical space doesn’t make people feel something, share something, or learn something, it’s just a warehouse with better lighting. In the Experience Economy, the goal isn’t volume; it’s value, woven into every interaction.

Is your store currently a warehouse, or a theatre?

P.S. Ready to transform your physical space into a destination? Subscribe below and get our free guide: Designing Experience-First Brand Launches for SMEs.

References 

  • Accio (2025) Retailtainment Trend 2025: Merging Shopping with Immersive Experiences, 30 May. Available at: https://www.accio.com/business/retailtainment_trend (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
  • Batat, W. (2022) Sensory Experiences and Storytelling in Retail and Food Environments. London: Routledge.
  • Davis, J. (2018) Measuring Marketing ROI for SMEs. London: Kogan Page.
  • Deloitte (2025) Retail Trends 2025. Available at: (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
  • Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc. (2019) The Psychology Behind Retail Marketing, 8 February. Available at:  (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
  • Infobip (2025) Retailtainment 101: How to create immersive customer experiences. Available at: [Insert Full URL to Infobip Source Here] (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
  • Livesignage (2025) Retailtainment: Transforming Retail with Digital Signage, 14 January. Available at: [Insert Full URL to Livesignage Source Here] (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
  • Moran, J. (2024) Quoted in The Guardian, ‘“Glad to be here”: whether for Le Creuset or Sephora, Britons seem to love a queue’, 15 November. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/nov/15/glad-to-be-here-whether-for-le-creuset-or-sephora-britons-seem-to-love-a-queue (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
  • Sidely (2025) Retailtainment: definition, trends and developments. Available at:  (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
  • Smilansky, S. (2009) Experiential Marketing: A Practical Guide to Interactive Brand Experiences. London: Kogan Page.
  • Smith, A. and Hanover, P. (2016) Experiential Marketing: Harnessing the Power of Live Brand Experiences. London: Kogan Page.
  • StartUs Insights (2025) Top 10 Retail Industry Trends in 2026, 28 August. Available at:  (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
  • ai (2024) Decoding the Psychology Behind Consumer Decisions in Retail. Available at:  (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
  • Stuller Blog (2024) The Psychology Behind a Successful Retail Shopping Experience, 23 August. Available at: (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
  • Tinuiti (2025) 7 Innovative Retail Trends to Watch in 2025, 1 July. Available at:  (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
  • Zappi (2025) 7 retail advertising trends for 2025: From Ulta to Sephora, 24 April. Available at:  (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
  • Zendesk (2025) Top 5 retail trends to expect in 2025. Available at: (Accessed: 18 October 2025).
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