Let’s Get Phygital in 2025

Phygital is hardly a new word. The term was first coined in 2007 by Chris Weil, former chairman and CEO of Momentum Worldwide. Like many concepts, many marketing professionals take credit for coming up with the term, but ownership doesn’t matter here.

What’s meaningful is that the term is having a huge resurgence — almost two decades later.

At Placer.ai’s Discover,  Alicia LeBeouf, a Managing Director at Meta, brought the word back to life as she talked about how digital tools and habits are augmenting every aspect of the consumer shopping experience — from virtual try-ons in stores to how we navigate the MULO (multi-location) world using smart glasses and highly-refined search systems.

A recent article in Forbes focused on how the fashion industry has gone phygital … with garments being designed using 3D technologies, sold on digital platforms, and (in some cases) feeding information to databases. We are all used to carrying phones and wearing watches that connect us to the outside world and feed marketers with behavior information. Our hats, glasses, and even shoes can do that, too! And, of course, we’ll be trying those clothes on using smart mirrors.

The pandemic led to massive changes in how we consume food at MULO (multi-location) restaurants and single-unit establishments. We can scan menus and order meals from apps (whether at home or in a restaurant), gather loyalty points, and even track the nutritional and caloric value of what we consume.

And then, of course, marketers are immersed in the concept of the phygital ecosystem. Once a brand pinpoints a consumer’s location and browsing and buying habits, they can steer them (literally) to other online and in-store options.

But we can’t forget that the “phy” in phygital is as crucial as the “gital.”Humans are making spending decisions based on tastes, budgets, location, and service needs.

Digital can speed up shopping/spending/service and make life simpler. But the brick-and-mortar and customer service experiences can keep consumers returning and build brand loyalty.

So, although the term may be 18 years old, how we implement the concept in the years ahead will make all the difference in brand success and, ultimately, longevity.

That’s why we’ve chosen it as our main theme for Street Fight LIVE 2025. Watch this space for details!