The store has traditionally been a place to browse products, compare choices, and complete a purchase. Its role was straightforward: attracting shoppers to products and converting their visits into purchases. Today, that model is changing. Physical retail is becoming a place people visit for the experience itself, giving stores a role beyond selling. As online

For decades, traditional industries relied on distributors, wholesalers, retailers, and agents to carry products from manufacturers to consumers. The relationship was largely indirect: companies produced and marketed their goods, while intermediaries controlled much of the journey to the buyer. Today, that structure is changing as direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategies bring businesses closer to the people who