Two retailtainment experiences paving the way for retail innovation in 2025

Retailtainment is a real buzzword in the retail space at the moment, particularly thanks to a couple of innovative uses of retailtainment to reinvent, rethink, and reinvigorate high-footfall retail spaces. But, before we get into these examples, what actually is retailtainment? 

What is Retailtainment? 

With the development of technology, certain innovations have provided people with new ways to experience and interact virtually with what were always strictly in-person practices. This has particularly been the case in the entertainment industry, as today's world doesn't always allow for time to enjoy ourselves at specific dates and venues, incentivizing a more freeform kind of access.

Just take online casinos, for example. Modern players can try their hand at real money blackjack games like Live All Bets Blackjack, Buster Blackjack, and Power Blackjack through online platforms, right from their homes. These games use live-streaming technology to provide a live video feed, through which players can communicate with opponents and hosts alike. Some games also utilize technologies like augmented reality (AR) to blur the lines between the physical and digital for engaging and immersive gameplay. 

And these same processes of digitisation and virtual transformations which have worked so well in other sectors have not left retail by the wayside. The predominant answer to physical retail in the modern age has for many years now been e-commerce, but increasingly another potential avenue has been gaining some traction. Retailtainment uses technology like live streaming, AR, and up and coming innovations like AI to provide shoppers with new, digital driven experiences. By using these technologies, it blends ideas of entertainment and retail, hence the name. 

Retailtainment Reinvented in LAX 

One of the top examples of next-generation retailtainment this year has come from L’Oréal. Their Travel Retail division partnered with DFS Group to create a tech driven omnichannel experience at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which ran throughout February and March 2025. 

The retailtainment experience was to promote Lancôme, particularly their new refillable Génifique packaging. The stall used animation and a 3D printed face to communicate with shoppers and present flash facials, as well as large bottles and testers to offer consumers an interactive product discovery experience.

It also included technology that could provide people with personalised advanced skin diagnostics in less than three minutes. Early analysis shows that the retailtainment pop-up increased basket sizes by three or more products per transaction. 

Trafford Center Revitalised by Retailtainment 

Over the past few years, shopping outlets like the Trafford Center in Manchester, UK, have seen some fluctuating in their footfall. Despite seeing drastic drops in footfall and occupancy in the not so distant past, the Trafford Center has begun to boom again, with footfall rising from 20.1 million to 20.8 million in 2023 alone. 

The reason that this shopping mall has seen this increase whilst others in the UK haven't recovered is largely credited to their commitment to converging shopping, leisure, food, and drinks, as well as the adoption of different technologies. In other words, it evolves alongside consumer preferences. 

By living up to its multifaceted motto of "Shop. Eat. Play.", the area has garnered the privilege to announce an ambitious new development, with a greater emphasis on the Trafford Palazzo in TraffordCity. The up-and-coming space has seen much press recently due to its engaging photo opportunities, experiential marketing, and hybrid experiences, particularly when it comes to brands like Archie's Atomic.

Overall, retailtainment has developed in line with emerging technologies and changing consumer behavior, providing shoppers with new (or simply different) ways to experience retail and interact with products or services. With two hugely impactful examples of game-changing retailtainment making big leaps so soon into 2025, this could become even more of a big deal throughout the rest of the year. All we have to do is wait and see what the future of retail brings.