The Future of Retail Isn't More Products—It's More Experiences

Retail is no longer about adding more SKUs—it's about emotions. We don't just shop to buy—experience matters. Education, entertainment, and community give customers a reason to return: more relationships and experiences.

So what's holding SMB retail back? An outdated approach to business that is overly transactional.

The Opportunity: Customers Crave Connection

People don't just want stuff. They want to feel something.

This is especially true in the art and craft materials industry. Customers aren't just buying paint—they're buying the possibility of creating something beautiful. They're not purchasing yarn—they're investing in quiet moments of mindfulness. They're not grabbing glue sticks—they're enabling family bonding time.

The demand is there. Shoppers scroll TikTok and Instagram for craft inspiration, join Facebook groups to share their creations, and seek tutorials on YouTube. The creativity is flourishing.

What does this mean? They still need physical stores. They want to touch the paper, feel the brush, and see the colors. Digital inspiration drives them to your store, it's the path to purchase: Search → Social → Store.

We have motivated customers walking in, already inspired and ready to buy. If we can connect their digital experiences and expectations to our physical reality, we will earn their loyalty. 

The Roadblock

The problem is that most industries, not just art and craft materials, aren't capitalizing on this opportunity. The traditional transactional relationship between retailers and manufacturers is outdated.

Retailers complain, "Manufacturers don't give us enough support. We need better margins, more marketing dollars, and training programs."

Manufacturers complain: "Retailers don't showcase our products properly. They miss opportunities. They don't take advantage of our value-added services."

I hear frustration from both sides. Retailers are strapped for time and fight every day to hold on. Brands are desperate to offset marketplace and economic turmoil. Ultimately, both feel unsupported. Both are working harder but seeing diminishing returns.

The answer is in plain sight: stop thinking transactionally and team up. 

Stop focusing on SKUs and shelf space. Don't obsess over placement and purchase orders. Stop talking about what you want from each other and start talking about what the customer wants. Nobody's talking about what customers need.

The Customer Journey

Here's what happens when someone decides to start a craft project:

Search: They find inspiration online, on platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok.

Social: They engage with communities, watch tutorials, and gather ideas.

Store: They go to touch, try, and learn before making a purchase. They also go to experience and support their community. 

The path to purchase is clear and easy to understand. It's time for retailers and suppliers to team up and own it. Together! 

Brands create amazing social content that doesn't align with the retail experience, and retailers design beautiful displays that fail to reflect the digital inspiration that brought customers in.

This is an easy gap to close. 

The Solution: Collaboration

Stop negotiating and bargaining over orders and work together. A high tide floats all boats. By adopting a collaborative, customer-centric approach, the industry will thrive. So will the bottom lines.

Connect the dots. When a brand posts an inspiring TikTok, link it to retailers who are hosting in-store demonstrations. When a retailer hosts a workshop, amplify it on the brand's social media.

Educate together. Provide retailers with resources for classes, tutorials, and hands-on learning. Customers don't just want products—they want to learn and experience them.

Create discovery spaces. Make branded investments in POS displays so stores feel like extensions of the digital experience. Let people experiment, play, and learn before they buy.

Share the journey. Stop treating online and offline as separate channels. They're connected in your customer's mind—they should be connected in your strategy: one effort, retailer, and brand, not separate, disconnected campaigns. 

The New Retail Reality

In the art and craft materials industry, we have passionate customers actively seeking new experiences, which is valuable.

The challenge isn't demand—it's alignment.

When retailers and manufacturers stop asking, "What can you do for me?" and start asking, "What can we do together?" everything changes. When we change the experience, we change the results. 

The customers already show you the way: Search → Social → Store.

They want education. They want community. They want to feel something when they walk into your store.

The retailers and manufacturers who figure this out first will not only survive the current market chaos but also thrive while their competitors are still arguing about shelf space.

The question isn't whether customers want what you offer. They do.

So, are you ready to give them the experience they're seeking?

Because retail isn't about SKUs, it's about emotion, experiences, and meaning.