Are Smaller Stores and Personalized Service the Future of Fashion?

Whether you’re an integrator, a designer or simply a label-defying creative, the EXPERIENCE is everything. Host Bryan Meszaros explores the story behind the exhibit to understand how a carefully crafted experience traps into the human experience to connect people to place.

 

Shoppers are increasingly turning to online shopping experiences, as in-store experiences are becoming less convenient. The COVID-19 Pandemic perhaps accelerated this model, and retailers are working to adapt to keep up with the changes.

On this episode of Experience By Design, Host Bryan Meszaros talked with Brian Landman, Vice President, Creative Studio at Winston Retail, who leads the way in defining the consumer experience by creating unified commerce in retail, wholesale, and online channels. The duo dug into optimizing the retail footprint, intimate store experiences, and analytics to predict customer behavior and product interests.

With brick-and-mortar foot traffic waning and online competition increasing, luxury department stores have been stalled and forced to resort to shutting stores, or in business-speak, “optimizing the retail footprint.” Retailers are doing this to shrink the size of retail stores, which creates a more intimate experience. An example of this is Burlington Stores who is shrinking the footprint of their stores to 25,000 square feet but increasing the number from 1,000 to 2,000.

“What we’re starting to see is brands looking at smaller, defined spaces where they can be more agile in the box,” said Landman, who has worked in the fashion and footwear industry for 20 years, gaining experience in ​visual merchandising, store design, brand experience, and storytelling at retail and wholesale.

With smaller, more intimate experiences, brands have to be mindful about what they put into the physical store. An example would be Sephora’s “Studio” prototype store in downtown New York, which is designed to foster an “intimate” experience with the customer – a type of relationship that is similar to how one would have with their hairdresser.

Watch Previous Episodes Right Here!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

promoted
How to Succeed After Getting Promoted: Seeking Feedback, Acting with Intention, and Leading with Perspective
April 16, 2026

Stepping into a leadership role today isn’t just a step up—it’s a shift into constant visibility, where expectations arrive immediately and the margin for error narrows. As organizations flatten structures and demand faster decisions, newly promoted leaders are expected to deliver impact from the outset, often without the space to fully adjust. According to…

Read More
AI in business
A Practical Conversation About AI in Business: From Hype to Real-World Impact
April 15, 2026

Artificial intelligence has moved from buzzword to boardroom priority at a staggering pace. Yet despite widespread adoption, many organizations are still struggling to turn experimentation into measurable business value—some estimates suggest the majority of enterprise AI initiatives fail to scale successfully. As AI becomes “table stakes” across industries, the real challenge is no longer…

Read More
weekly drive-in
Metropolis: Weekly Drive-in
April 15, 2026

Metropolis “Weekly Drive In” reflects a new era of storytelling where AI meets real-world execution, turning everyday field performance into momentum. Centered on genuine conversions and local wins, the series highlights how the company is scaling not just through technology, but through visibility and shared recognition. In an emerging recognition economy, these updates act…

Read More
Drive In, Drive Out: The Rhythm of Metropolis
April 15, 2026

Behind the seemingly mundane choreography of a drive-in lies a broader story about how modern cities script behavior, turning even the simplest actions into rehearsed routines. What looks like repetition is really a quiet testament to systems designed for flow and control, where efficiency often outweighs individuality. In places like Metropolis, the rhythm of…

Read More