Interactive Visual Merchandising : Swipe, Scan, Shop

Transform stores into destinations by creating retail experiences customers want to return to again and again. Today’s shoppers expect more than a transaction. They want personalized, seamless, and engaging experiences that connect physical and digital retail. In Interactive Visual Merchandising, Kate Schaefer shows how brands are using emerging technologies to build customer loyalty, strengthen brand identity, and create memorable in-store experiences. Through examples from innovators including Reformation, Amazon, Sephora, Fit:match, and Nike, the book explores how artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, livestream shopping, beacon technology, mobile engagement tools, and smart store design are reshaping the retail landscape. Rather than focusing on technology for technology’s sake, Schaefer demonstrates how retailers can thoughtfully integrate digital tools to create relevant, frictionless, and emotionally resonant customer experiences. You’ll learn how to enhance product discovery, personalize recommendations, strengthen omnichannel connections, improve customer service, and encourage deeper engagement throughout the shopper journey. Updated throughout, this second edition includes new coverage of AI in retail, gamification, sustainability, inclusivity, immersive retail concepts, responsible use of customer data, and the future of brick-and-mortar shopping. It also examines why some high-profile retail innovations succeed while others fail, helping you evaluate new technologies through the lens of customer needs and business goals. This practical guide is essential for students and professionals in fashion merchandising, visual merchandising, retail design, branding, and fashion business who want to create retail environments that inform, entice, and engage customers in an increasingly connected world.