The National Retail Federation recently released a “Retail Gets Real” podcast episode on consumer expectations of retail stores. 

This episode features Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Head of Commerce Strategy at Publicis Group and has been a retail specialist for industry leaders for years. He will moderate a panel at NRF Retail Converge on unique marketplaces and how retailers like Crate & Barrel and social media sites like Pinterest are leveraging them.

He kicks off the episode by saying, “In general, the world is going to stores less. Now, good news, we're spending as much or more than ever, right? So, good retailers are doing great,” Goldberg said. “Retail actually had a decent year last year in spite of the pandemic, but we're using the store in a very different way. We buy more stuff when we go to the store.”

The episode talks about how the role of the store is changing forever. Goldberg said that as consumers become more accustomed to the variety and offerings of digital, they will have higher expectations of these digital possibilities when they visit physical stores. Even if they only use one pickup service, consumers can see digital signs at the checkout to remind them of the instant purchases they're used to. 

Listen to the entire episode here: https://nrf.com/blog/digital-expectations-physical-world