The Case for In-Person Brand Engagement
Key Takeaways
Most consumers (73%) say they enjoy shopping in stores, despite what retail closures and real estate vacancies would suggest.
Young, urban women are the core audience for in-person brand activations and in-store events.
That doesn’t mean they don’t want to engage with brands online: People who enjoy shopping in stores also tend to spend more time on social media, in search of inspiration and products to buy.
The recent Forever 21 bankruptcy and announcement of U.S. store closures highlights the shift in shopping culture e-commerce hath wrought. Is hanging out with your friends at the mall a lost cultural touchstone? Have we lost the art of convincing each other to buy weird matching sweatshirts as an in-joke?
No, we have not. Overall, the share of consumers who enjoy shopping in stores — 73% in March 2025 — has held steady if not increased in the last few years, after dipping in mid-2022 amid spiking inflation.
While the loss of Forever 21 is another nail in the coffin of millennial youth culture, that group is 40 after all. It still holds true that people, especially young urban women, want to engage with brands in person. Stale merchandise and dusty fitting rooms won’t cut it, but investing in the real life experience is well worth it to reach a spendy and engaged consumer cohort.
Young urban women love to shop in person
Just because it’s a stereotype doesn’t mean it isn’t true — young, urban women enjoy shopping in stores more than others. That’s not to say others don’t: The demographic profile of people who enjoy stores is 47% male, but does overindex among women.
Young urban dwellers are also more likely to indicate interest in events at stores, and these events can also help to lure in men, who were more likely than women to say they’re interested in store events featuring food, drink and live music. The urban factor is likely just a reflection of the convenience of having more stores available in a compact area, and suburban areas are also of course strong locations for stores and in-person brand experiences.
Store enjoyment overindexes among young, urban women
Notably, income isn’t a differentiating factor for enjoying the store experience. While it’s logically more fun to shop when you have more disposable income, the social attributes cross income lines.
Those who enjoy stores also engage with brands online
People who enjoy shopping in stores also spend a lot of time on social media. In particular, they’re heavier users of platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest than those who don’t enjoy shopping in stores. It’s not a coincidence that these platforms happen to be strong channels for brands, influencers and user-generated shopping content — this group just likes to shop, period. They shop online at similar rates to those who say they don’t enjoy stores.
Asked why they spend time on social media, this group has particularly brand-friendly activity: they’re looking for inspiration for things to buy and places to visit, and finding products to purchase.
People who enjoy stores also lean on social media for inspiration
More than a quarter (28%) follow companies and brands on social media, and 27% say they follow influencers and experts, making this group a target-rich environment for social ads and influencer campaigns in addition to brands’ own organic content.
Real life events and pop-ups shouldn’t just be for influencers, though influencer partners can certainly help make the activation more attractive. Events help to build meaningful connections between brands and their customers, in addition to the impressions gained from the social reach of attendees’ posts. Recurring events, like department stores hosting pop-ups for emerging brands, are a win-win, drawing new customers into stores, giving shoppers a reason to come in-store and bringing attention for a smaller brand to an already strong customer base.
