The Rise of Experience Centres: Why Brands Want Customers Off Their Screens
Online brands are encouraging their customers to get off their screens and visit their centres. India’s top D2C (direct-to-consumer) brands, which sell products mostly online, took 18% of the retail space leased in malls and high streets in the first half of 2025, according to CBRE.
Why are companies moving to a physical structure when they can easily run their business on dashboards? Many business strategists believe these experience centres are built to help people try, learn and trust a brand, and selling is only part of the job.
The Online Brands Opening Physical Stores
To understand the market, take the example of Snitch, an Indian menswear brand that grew online. Presently, the brand has 131 stores across India. Its CEO says shoppers who once doubted an online-only brand now trust it more because it has stores. Plus, he confirms that marketing costs have decreased and that people spend more per order in stores. These are the company’s own claims, but they clearly explain the reason behind brands’ offline rush. Warby Parker narrates the same story in the US. It began as an online glasses seller. Today, its stores earn the major part of its revenue.
Why the Screen Seems Ineffective
Meta reports that the average price of an ad across Facebook, Instagram and its other apps increased 12% in a year in the second quarter of 2026. So, this is a major signal: higher ad prices push up the customer acquisition cost that a brand spends to win each new buyer.
Imagination might be another reason. Some purchases are hard to picture. Ruhe, a kitchen and bathroom fittings brand, says customers struggle to imagine a tap or a light in their own home. So it builds full room sets to experience things; an ad cannot do that.
Insight for Business
While there is a possibility for growth beyond the screen. But not all brands have earned profit from offline stores. Allbirds closed its remaining full-price US stores in early 2026. In March, it agreed to sell its footwear business. Its filings describe a business losing heavily, and its CEO called the stores unprofitable. Stores were not the only problem; the brand’s sales were continuously falling. But a lease is a fixed cost, and a business can be in trouble if it cannot pay enough.
Initially, businesses should focus on addressing customers’ doubts. Where buyers hesitate and then choose the smallest version that can do it. A pop-up store, a trial corner or a shelf in a partner’s store is a small investment and a realistic way to enter.
Before you build, decide how you will judge the outcome. If you cannot say what result would make you close the space, you are not ready to open it.
Bottom Line
While brands want customers off their screens, online shopping is not going anywhere. RedSeer projects that nearly 90% of India’s retail consumption will still happen offline by 2030.
The brands that win use both screens to reach people and convince them. This concept is called omnichannel: one buying journey runs across the screen and the shop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is customer experience important for businesses?
Customer experience helps brands decide whether a first-time buyer comes back. Ads can bring a stranger to you, but experience is what they remember after the first visit. The practical test is the share of first-time buyers who buy again.
What are the three C’s of customer experience?
Generally, the three C’s of customer experience include consistency, convenience and customisation. Some sources use customer, content and control. McKinsey argued in 2014 that consistency matters most.
Is an experience centre worth it for a small business?
An experience centre can benefit small businesses if it can address the doubts customers have. The right way to check is to look past footfall and social posts and now count the new customers the space brings in, then compare online sales around it with a similar area that has no space.
Will physical stores replace online shopping?
Physical stores will not replace online shopping but will add more value to the brand. Because shoppers do not separate online, offline and social media, and they consider a brand based on the whole journey.
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