Retail Inspiration from a Museum

An inspiring immersive experience that blends digital and physical worlds, Planet Word in Washington DC is a hotbed of inspiration for retail. I can’t help but share a few fun imaginings.
 
👨‍🎨 In the Word Worlds gallery, you can dip a brush and paint with words like “parched,” “nostalgic, or “surreal” making the scene transform beneath your brush. In store, imagine walking into a changing room that becomes the perfect setting for your selected outfit. (Or maybe it’s just me who pictures myself on a lavish yacht in Greece in this new summer dress?)
 
📕 The Magical Library brings books to life with visual animations and audio storytelling. What if by picking up a product, you could learn anything you want about it? How it was made or how you can you use it. (Again, maybe just me but I want to picture that room I’m putting the couch in. Yes, I’ll take those side tables too! I want to know why I can climb a mountain in the arctic with my winter coat, even if I’m just wearing it to the grocery store.)
 
🎤 The Spoken word room has visitors “talk” to speakers from all over the globe. Imagine a sales person available when you need them, someone who has unlimited expertise, and fills your cart with the best choices? (I’m currently re-imagining practically every visit to Home Depot with much less embarrassment.)
 
Ok, maybe I like shopping 🛍 more than the average person and even a museum about words makes me ponder the retail experience. But, one thing I know is that brick and mortar stores have been struggling since the pandemic. With all the technology at our disposal and a little creativity, brands and their stores could capture our imaginations and our loyalty. Saturday afternoons at the mall? Better than the alternative of shlepping my kids around to birthday parties and activities….sigh, just me?