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The next era of retail isn’t faster, it’s deeper

Richard Buchanan, Nuevo

Retail now sits at the intersection of commerce and culture. People don’t just buy products, they buy into stories, lifestyles and shared values.

Stores are evolving from transactional spaces into cultural environments, living extensions of what people care about. The most successful brands are designing experiences that feel alive. Adaptive, social and emotionally intelligent.

At House of Retail 2025, hosted by First Impression audiovisual, that evolution was impossible to miss.

Across every talk, from futurists to founders, one message resonated. As technology becomes invisible, emotion becomes invaluable.

Kate Ancketill spoke of the intelligent store. Fewer but richer, modular by design and deeply in sync with culture. Every store, she said, should act like a flagship wherever it lives, leaving both a first and lasting impression.

Couro Seck from Rituals Cosmetics showed how slowing down can be a form of progress. From hand-washing rituals to refill stations and community events, Rituals creates spaces designed to restore attention, not just capture it. Retail as sensual well-being, a small act of care in a hurried world.

And futurist Howard Saunders summed it up best: predictions come and go, but humanity endures. That idea reframes what progress in retail really looks like. Not faster, but deeper.

For me, that’s what the future of retail means. As technology disappears, what remains is presence. Presence turns brand moments into memories. Because physical retail’s greatest strength isn’t scale or convenience, it’s emotional depth.

You can’t smell, touch or feel empathy online.

A store makes a brand tangible, a place where meaning becomes physical, and reality itself becomes the rarest luxury.

Connection is the new currency

Rob Schulkins, HH Global

Authenticity and human connection are becoming the ultimate differentiators. As automation accelerates, people crave experiences that feel genuine and personal, the kind that get people talking and sharing.

That idea was captured perfectly by Howard Saunders, who said, “AI will make authentic human connection the most precious currency ever.” He’s right. The challenge for brands, and partners like us, is scaling authenticity across markets, formats and moments.

For years the focus has been on creating frictionless experiences. But true connection often begins with a pause, not a shortcut. The most memorable journeys build in moments of positive friction, the kind that make people stop, engage and remember.

People still seek convenience, but only when it makes sense. Automation can streamline the process, but it’s intentional, emotionally resonant experiences that truly connect.

That’s why, whether a client has one flagship store or limited shelf space, the opportunity is the same. Create energy, relevance and emotion.

When we help brands get that connection right, everything else follows.

Designing for emotion, not just efficiency

As House of Retail 2025 showed, the most successful brands will be those with soul. Charisma, curiosity and creativity will separate the memorable from the forgettable.

As technology scales, emotional resonance will be the real differentiator. Retailers who design for feeling, not just function, will earn loyalty, attention and, dare we say it, love.

For us, that’s the new frontier of creative technology.

Designing systems that don’t replace people but amplify presence. Because the most advanced technology a brand can offer is still a human moment.

Innovation drives progress, but emotion drives preference. Success isn’t about smarter stores. It’s about more human ones.

What does the future of retail look like? In two words, very exciting.