The NYC Retail Blueprints

By Kees Verkade, Owner Kega & Keephub

After two trips to New York in quick succession for the NRF, it is good to reflect on issues I have been preoccupied with for a long time: Omnichannel or Frictionless shopping. This is about an optimal connection between physical and online shopping, and frankly, it hasn't improved.

Manhattan is still a hotspot for fashion, shopping, food, and innovation, especially around the NRF. You would expect the customer experience there to be perfected down to the last detail. Yet, the reality at major brands like Alo and Lululemon is often disappointing (literally: a cold fair): missing sizes, unhelpful staff, and a total lack of integration between the web and the store.

But let's be honest, this frustration is not limited to Fifth Avenue. We also see a worrying trend on the Dutch high street. While 'omnichannel' was still common 6 to 10 years ago, it seems to be slipping through retail's fingers in 2026.

'Lost Sale' as an unnecessary sacrifice

The scenario is painfully recognizable, both in Manhattan and Amsterdam: you find the right brand or product, but that specific size or color is not in stock. Instead of a 'frictionless' solution, the customer is left to their own devices. In New York, the attitude often seems to be: "There's enough business anyway". In the Netherlands, I think it's due to staff shortages. But the result is the same: a lost sale.

Due to the coronavirus and reduced staff availability, the parameters for ship-from-store and converting a 'no' into a sales opportunity have come under severe pressure.

From strategy to stagnation

The biggest barrier is the persistent silo structure. A striking example is the loyalty policy at brands like Alo, where your points are often only valid online OR only in the store. Consumers don't think in channels; they see one brand.

When the connection between physical and online is not optimal, you drive the modern consumer away. In the Netherlands, we see that the 'mature' omnichannel strategies of ten years ago have stagnated. We are missing opportunities at crucial moments, such as:

• Upselling on pickup orders; A customer comes to the store to pick up a package but is not tempted into an extra purchase.

• New sales on returns; A return in the store should be the starting point for a new sale, not an administrative burden.

Profit is left on the table

By losing focus on integration, retailers are leaving profit on the table on three fronts:

1. Revenue - Every customer who leaves empty-handed because an item cannot be ordered directly from another channel is direct profit for the competitor.

2. Margin - Inefficient return flows and the failure to utilize the store as a distribution hub unnecessarily drive up costs.

3. Customer Loyalty - Loyalty is not a savings card; it is recognition. If that recognition stops at the threshold of the physical store, the emotional connection disappears.

Back to Frictionless as the way forward

The trend is clear: consumers are increasingly choosing pickup points (at the retailer itself or a designated pick-up point). This offers a huge opportunity for lower costs and extra profit, provided the internal barriers are dismantled.

These omnichannel barriers must be broken down internally, whether it concerns making inventory accessible or making loyalty points universally usable.

Frictionless shopping must (once again) be the norm, because the customer simply shops online one moment and walks into the physical store the next day.

The lessons from New York are clear: even with an abundance of customers, friction erodes your profit and brand values in the long term. It is time for us to finally truly deliver on the promise of ten years ago.