Anyone that has been in the retail development business for more than a few years has probably heard the phrase “we need to build a better mouse trap.” I heard it again the other day and it struck me how out of tune it seems with the kinds of experiences we are now delivering for our customers.

I suppose the mouse trap analogy implied an element of efficiency and economy, but I believe it is dead wrong when describing improvements to today’s destinations.

If a mouse trap is effective…  well…

At the core, the original meaning of the expression is “to invent the next great thing, you have to have a better idea” and I agree with that – Innovation is more important now than it has ever been in retail, but our choice of words and the analogy of a mouse trap needs to evolve…

We want to delight our customers with new and evolving experiences, and we certainly want them to come back time and time again.

The result cannot be of tricking the customer into a one-time sale any longer, our world is wonderfully intertwined with omni channels and ecosystems, things that need constant and innovative solutions.

In the digital world it’s called “conversions”, the process of turning site visits into actions or sales, perhaps for us in the physical world we should stick to the term we already have, a better experience.