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Clothing, jewellery and accessories shops, shoe shops, travel agencies, food outlets, hotels, design spaces… The market segments on the list of Barcelona businesses chosen for the RBEWC (27th-29th May at the Gran Via venue) itineraries are very diverse. But all of these businesses have a common aim: to differentiate themselves from their competitors through the shopping experience, making consumers the focus and appealing to their emotions and experiences.

During the event, Retail Safari will follow two routes visiting innovative businesses in Barcelona that show some of the latest trends: online stores that jump off-line; spaces where different formats converge and exploit different channels to market; categories of products that project beyond themselves; outlets leading the renewal of the shopping experience; and, the increasing importance of sustainability at the point of sale.

Alba Batiste, Director of the Retail & Brand Experience World Congress, stresses that “the rise of online shopping and an increasingly demanding consumer are leading to the evolution of the concept of the physical shop, which is becoming a space for experiences. That is why RBEWC is offering two routes that will show how brands and shops are responding to the interests and tastes of their end-customers to connect with them.”

The first route will visit Camper, B the Travel Brand, Tous, Ametller Origen and Cepsa outlets. Camper’s shop on the Paseo de Gracia invites collaboration with the world of art – specifically ceramics – under the slogan “Camper Together”. The store also has an integrated stock system and all purchases are made on tablets. Similarly, B the Travel Brand Experience presents a completely innovative model of travel agency where conferences, tastings, concerts, talks and film shows are organised around the common thread of travel. Casa Ametller’s space in the World Trade Center shows how today some brands are prioritising building a community over selling a product. The spaces include a co-working and presentation room, a restaurant with local and seasonal produce, and a healthy bar run by a nutritionist. Tous will show how it combines the latest technology with craft skills, while Cepsa will show the process of profound transformation it is undergoing based on the analysis of data from all its departments.

The second route will include stops at IED, Kave Home, Casa Bonay, Si Vas Descalzo and La Boqueria. The Kave Home and Si Vas Descalzo stores are especially representative of retail today Two brands that started online and have gone on to open physical spaces where they can connect with their customers. Another highlight will be in the Boqueria where you can learn about the Manzaning app, designed to promote business close-up and personal and allowing the shopper to buy from the different stalls in the market. The Casa Bonay hotel will demonstrate the marriage of the worlds of art and tourism. The IED design school will explain its new showroom featuring digital signage, analytics and automation technologies to optimise the impact of in-store capture campaigns.

The event will revolve around the congress attended by more than 160 experts, representing brands such as Carrefour, British Airways, Google, Levi’s, Glovo and Muji, who will discuss how the digital explosion is transforming a key sector of the economy. The programme of the first Retail & Brand Experience World Congress has six central themes and eight sectors with a total of some fifty sessions. The topics will be: customer experience, omni-channel approaches and digital, the real estate sector, retail technologies, customisation and new retail models and trends. And the sectors: fashion, consumer goods, department stores and shopping centres, beauty, electronics, online, furniture and banking.

RBEWC’s offering is completed by a start-up area and an exhibitor zone hosting more than 100 companies. The Startup Village will have an area of stands, a competition to choose the best new business, workshops and round tables. The exhibitor area will bring together businesses such as SAP, Cisco, Deloitte, Beabloo Accenture, Epson, Open Bravo, Asts Solum-Samsung, and Tiendeo, and agencies such as Barcelona Turisme.