The Next Gen Store Awards: How Anthropologie, Diptyque and others are transforming the in-store experience
The first-ever Next Gen Store Awards winners reflect a retail landscape in which the in-store experience is becoming increasingly important to how brands attract and engage customers. The winning concepts combined creative design, technology and thoughtful storytelling to demonstrate how physical retail can create value beyond the transaction.
Experiential store formats and creative displays gave customers new ways to experience a brand’s identity, while customization and hospitality elements encouraged longer visits and deeper engagement. Retailers also integrated digital inventory and shopping tools into in-store experiences, and sensory experiences gave shoppers additional reasons to engage with brands in person.
Together, this year’s winners offer a snapshot of an industry redefining the role of physical retail. As consumer expectations and shopping habits evolve, the most compelling store experiences will be those that balance technological innovation with the creativity, discovery and human connection that bring people through the door.
Best In-Store Display in a Retailer
Anthropologie
Anthropologie’s Spring waterlily window display transformed storefronts into immersive, pond-inspired environments designed to capture shoppers’ attention and encourage store visits. Featuring oversized sculptural waterlilies, lily pads and intricate details, the installation used scale, color and unexpected perspectives to create a sense of movement and discovery. Developed through months of creative exploration, material testing and prototyping, the project brought together artists, home office creatives and in-store display teams. Each Anthropologie store adapted the concept to its architecture while maintaining a cohesive seasonal story. Rolled out across nearly 250 global stores, the display prompted shoppers to stop, admire the craftsmanship, ask about the creative process and share photos on social media. By turning a familiar storefront into an artistic experience, Anthropologie extended its brand storytelling beyond its products and gave customers another reason to explore its stores.
Best New Store Concept
Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott
Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott’s flagship in Nashville, Tennessee, was designed to establish the brand as a modern Western lifestyle destination beyond its Texas roots. The store combines rustic textures, reclaimed wood, custom stained glass and locally sourced artwork to create an environment shaped by craftsmanship and Nashville’s creative community. Interactive features, including a hat customization atelier and color bar, give shoppers opportunities to personalize their purchases, while Beau’s Bar, the brand’s first in-store in-store bar, gives shoppers a place to pause and socialize. Since opening, the flagship has welcomed more than 20,000 shoppers per month, with Beau’s Bar attracting over 5,000 guests monthly. The location’s success has helped expand the brand’s reach beyond Texas while demonstrating how localized design, personalization and hospitality can turn a retail space into a lifestyle destination.
Best Store Technology
FASHIONPHILE
Fashionphile developed a hybrid retail model that turns its distribution centers into shoppable destinations, giving customers in-person access to thousands of luxury resale items beyond the inventory typically available in stores. At its authentication centers, shoppers use phones or iPads to browse inventory and request items from a secure, climate-controlled storage area known as The Cage. A conveyor belt or mini handbag elevator then delivers selected pieces to the showroom floor, where sales associates help customers explore their options. The model also allows shoppers to sell or trade items during the same visit, with authenticators evaluating merchandise on-site. Behind the scenes, technology synchronizes individual items across digital marketplaces, authentication centers and retail locations. The approach has helped Fashionphile grow its offline business, with physical retail accounting for more than 30% of revenue in 2025, up from 4% previously.
Best Store Activation
Diptyque
Diptyque transformed its Bleecker Street boutique in New York into an immersive experience to mark the first redesign of its classic candle since its introduction in 1963. The activation introduced the updated candle alongside five new permanent home fragrances: Café, Ortie, Sésame Noir, Rhubarbe and Shiso. Designed in collaboration with Franco-Swiss designer Julie Richoz, the redesigned vessel is 10% lighter than its predecessor and features a refillable format that reduces its carbon footprint by approximately 30% compared with purchasing two new candles. Drawing inspiration from the brand’s signature herbarium, the boutique featured the expanded collection alongside a film exploring the candle’s 50-hour burn time. The weekend activation attracted 2,025 visitors, 70% of whom were new customers. The broader launch generated more than 4.39 billion press impressions year-to-date and drove North American sales 40% above forecast in its first three months.