We were all told “Don’t touch!” growing up, but for brick and mortar stores, touch in retail is how decisions get made.
Shoppers don’t browse with their eyes, they reach, feel, test, and compare. In fact, the moment their hands make contact is when the real connection begins.
At Ripple, we’ve seen how stores that invite shoppers into a tactile customer experience consistently outperform those that don’t. And yet, in a digital-first world, the tactile experience is often the first to be overlooked.
It doesn’t take much to bring sensory marketing in retail to life. So, make a few small touches and turn window shoppers into your loyal customers…
Curious how tactile design could transform your space?
Explore The Power of Touch in Retail with Ripple
Texture Builds Trust: Why Tactile Design Works
Humans are hardwired to touch. It’s how we judge quality, test suitability, and form emotional responses, and is the core of tactile marketing.
When materials, surfaces, and interaction are layered into a wider sensory marketing strategy, touch creates physical memory and influences behaviour.
What does that look like in practice?
- Tile walls customers can run their hands across
- Raw timber shelving that adds authenticity and warmth
- Tactile zones where product sampling slows the customer down
- Mixed material displays combining matte, gloss, smooth and grainy finishes to hold attention
The Psychology Behind Tactile Marketing
Sensory marketing is a powerful psychological tool, and one you should have in your repertoire if you’re to maximise your profits.
In fact, studies show customers are more likely to buy when they touch a product, even if they have no prior brand loyalty.
This isn’t much of a surprise when you consider the shift when a customer picks something up, they’re no longer just browsing. Instead their journey shifts and they begin to imagine ownership.
That’s the power of tactile marketing. It triggers emotional commitment before a word is said.
And it doesn’t stop at products. A velvet bench signals comfort. A leather cushion suggests luxury.
Materials carry meaning, and in your retail space, they can frame the experience and influence a customer to turn browsing into profits.
Ripple retail designs use these cues deliberately. We use subtle but impactful features to slow people down, draw them in, and make the space do more than simply look great.
Design to Invite Touch – Not Prevent It
One of the fastest ways to kill engagement? Lock everything behind glass.
We’ve worked with brands who came to us with highly designed spaces that customers barely interacted with. But, the problem was the presentation, rather than the product.
If you want people to understand the product, you have to embrace sensory marketing.
That means:
- Keeping hero products within reach
- Using open shelving, sample trays, and interactive displays
- Avoiding excessive signage or stock piles that signal “hands off”
- Thinking about natural touch-points (waist-height tables, entry displays, corners)
The Beauty of Sensory Marketing in Practice
In our recent fitout for BPerfect’s Beauty Space, the makeup application zone became the brand’s most visited area. Why? Because people could try, test, and feel, while staff are on hand to demonstrate and engage, turning passive browsing into active trial.
Love looking into the details? So do we! Check out the BPerfect case study →
Tactile + Tech: Turning Touch Into Action
If you want to make your retail design a standout choice on the high street, abandon static features. Instead, embrace active exploration with a blend of interactive tech and tactile experiences.
Ripple designs have used RFID lift-and-learn displays, magnetic boards, and demo workstations to encourage experimentation, turning casual interest into informed, confident purchases.
Watch RFID lift-and-learn in action →
A few favourites:
- The magnetic brick slip wall we’re building for Manchester Brick Specialists, letting customers mix and match textures
- Dulux’s bristle display, where shoppers feel the difference between brush types
- The Carvers Interiors live shower demo, giving customers full sensory immersion
- Skincare stations with built-in sinks to test products in real time
These deliberate design choices make a space memorable, functional, and fun to explore.
Get in touch today to swap gimmicks for customer-focused sensory branding.
How Sensory Marketing in Retail Layouts Leads the Hand
We choreograph store flows that encourage physical interaction, not by chance, but by design.
This thoughtful use of texture subtly influences customer behaviour, as well as creating clear and differentiated zones.
- A shift from smooth concrete to soft carpet signals a new pace
- Angular materials prompt decisiveness; soft ones invite dwell
- Edge displays and waist-height fixtures invite natural hand placement
It’s about prompting touch where it matters. Think hero products, key callouts, cross-sell zones, all without adding clutter or complexity.
Ripple’s Top Tip: The most effective touchpoints are often the quietest. A single texture change can shift how a space feels, flows, and performs – no signage needed.
When Touch in Retail Builds Confidence, Sales Follow
Every texture tells a story. We make sure it’s the right one. At Ripple, we design environments where touch works hard.
From modular tile walls and skincare demo zones to shelving materials that communicate quality before a single word is spoken.
Let’s design a space that not only looks good, but earns attention, builds trust, and drives results.
