From clicks to bricks: Why online retailers are opening bricks and mortar stores
The role of the retail store is shifting from nostalgic to strategic. Online retailers are now realising that human connection and real-life brand experiences are the key to driving revenue, and now physical stores are popping up across the country.
Studies have shown that 51% of Australian consumers are more likely to show loyalty to retail brands who have bricks and mortar and online stores, i.e. a ‘phygital’ presence. An additional 48% of customers also reported that human connection and a personalised customer experience was a key driver to visiting a physical retail store.
The best retail fitouts are emotive spaces that tell a story through experiential design. Playing into memory and emotion, physical retail stores have become immersive marketing activations that ensure a brand will stay front of mind. Shoppers are more likely to visit bricks and mortar stores if they can connect with people who share their interests and if the space is an extension of the brand’s values.
Unita has become a trusted partner for brands bringing their digital store to life, seen through our work with fashion and home retailers across Australia like Bronze Snake, Sabo, Sheet Society and Eva.
Shifting from cart to counter in fashion retail
Many fashion brands in 2026 are adopting a phygital presence to stand out in a crowded and increasingly saturated market. This shift reflects the limitations of online-only retail, which cannot offer the sensory experiences that build customer loyalty and trust – two elements essential to meaningful brand connection. Unita has helped brands like Bronze Snake and Sabo transition to a phygital presence, creating spaces that foster a community of engaged brand advocates.
Bronze Snake emerged in Melbourne as an independent Australian online retail brand, delivering thoughtfully-crafted, minimalist pieces that exude quiet confidence. Although predominantly an e-commerce store, the brand has expanded its physical presence over the last decade and engaged Unita to deliver its Prahran fitout. The design reflects the minimalistic yet distinctive core identity of the brand, which shoppers can now experience firsthand.
Another fashion retailer that has made the move from an e-commerce store to bricks and mortar retail is Sabo. The brand began as a fashion blog and evolved into an online store, offering clothing shaped with intention and inspired by their unique fashion-forward community. Unita worked with Collectivus to deliver their Miranda and Bondi Junction stores, creating spaces that immerse customers in their Mediterranean-inspired brand identity.
These fashion retailers now have an omni-channel structure that allows customers to connect with the product, people and brand physically – cultivating loyalty and trust.
Creating comfort in the real world
Comfort culture in Australia is currently prioritising a ‘relaxed luxury’ aesthetic, with textures and finishes that bring ease and liveability to everyday life. This means it’s becoming more important than ever for furniture and bedding retailers to offer customers the opportunity to experience their products, and the promise of comfort, prior to purchasing. Unita has helped Sheet Society and Eva bridge the gap between imagined experience and a tangible sense of comfort.
Sheet Society is a Melbourne-born concept that was initially brought to life as an e-commerce store between 2017 and 2020. Sheet Society opened their first physical retail store after recognising the importance of a tactile, in-store experience. Unita recently delivered their Burnside Village and Doncaster stores alongside In Addition, creating a domestic-style space with warm, inviting curved finishes. The result is a retail store customers can immerse themselves in and take a slice of home with them.
Another retailer making its mark with experiential design is Eva. Eva was originally launched as an online business out of a self-storage unit in North Melbourne and is now showcasing how brand immersion in a physical space can complement exceptional product design and engineering. In collaboration with In Addition, we delivered their Surry Hills showroom fitout, creating a space that encourages guests to experience the furniture as if it were in their own home.
By immersing the customer in a domestically-designed experiential space, Eva’s and Sheet Society’s retail stores play into human emotion and connect customers to comfort.
The changing role of the retail store
Unita has helped deliver physical stores for Sheet Society, Bronze Snake, Eva and Sabo as part of their strategy to prioritise customer experience over inventory. Through storytelling in design, these stores create an experience that shoppers will explore and remember, transforming retail fitouts into a marketing opportunity rather than a space purely for sales.
Physical retail fitouts aren’t replacing a brand’s digital presence, but completing it. By bridging online reach with human connection through an impactful physical space, fitouts help create a more holistic business model. If you’re looking at bringing your online retail store to life, let’s chat.
