“If you pick a technology and then say: ‘how are we going to make this work in our retail environment,’ it’s probably the wrong question to be asking.”

-Steve White, vice president of West Retail Lead on Why Virtual Reality Won't Revolutionize Retail. 

While flashier technologies like AR/VR might seem like the go-to for brands looking to introduce higher-end technology into their stores, some brands are finding that they need to employ more practical technologies to improve their customer experience.

“Today’s struggling brick-and-mortar retailers can survive and thrive in this world. But first, they’ll need to shift their thinking about associates on the customer front line — realizing they are a critical asset, not an overhead cost — and invest in them as such.”

-Marcie Merriman of Retail Dive on Why the workforce is Retail's Most Important Renovation.

In a retail environment where physical stores offer little competitive advantage compared to an E-commerce platform, some retailers are finally coming to terms with the importance of their in-store associates.

“The real challenge for retailers experimenting with pop-up stores is to introduce pop-up concepts that are closely aligned with their brands, not only in design and product, but in attitude,” she says. “It’s not enough to simply open a temporary shop — this won’t be enough to capture shoppers’ attention.”

- Michelle Malison, a research analyst at Euromonitor International on whether or not the Pop-up Shop Bubble has Popped. 

To find success in today’s pop-up marketplace, emerging brands must be more innovative than ever to set their concepts apart from bigger name brands that are joining in on the pop-up party.