From Looking In to Leading Change: My Retail Story

By Tim Nash, Head of Creative Strategy at We Are IPOS & Curator of Shop Drop Daily

When I was a child, I would press my face to the cold glass of London department store windows at Christmas and lose myself in the small, perfect worlds they created. Behind each pane, whole stories unfolded, characters frozen mid-scene, sets lit like theatre, an atmosphere carefully composed to stir emotion. Those windows weren’t just decoration; they were invitations into another world. Even then, I understood that retail at its best isn’t just about shopping. It’s about creating moments that matter.

That feeling has never left me. It’s shaped my career, my thinking, and the way I approach every project. I don’t see retail as a transaction. I see it as a series of connected experiences, a story told across touchpoints, with the physical store as its anchor. Shops aren’t there simply to sell; they’re where a brand shows up in its most human form. They’re tactile, sensory, and social, and they have the power to create memories that last far longer than the purchase itself.

Over the years, I’ve come to believe that making moments that truly matter isn’t about being the loudest in the room; it’s about being the most relevant. Sometimes that relevance comes from bold, disruptive creativity, the kind of activation that stops people in their tracks and demands attention. Other times, it comes from something quieter: a tactile detail, a considered material, a subtle experience that feels personal. Both can be powerful. Both can resonate. The key is authenticity, doing what feels true to the brand and meaningful to the audience.

That belief in resonance over noise is why I care so much about connected thinking. Retail doesn’t exist in isolation anymore, and nor should it. A campaign might start with a window, but it extends into digital, into social, into lived experience. The power lies in how those elements work together, how they reinforce each other to tell a story people want to be part of. I’ve never liked the word “omnichannel” because it makes it sound mechanical. I think of it as coexistence: each channel doing what it does best but contributing to a bigger whole.

Curiosity is what keeps me pushing at this. I still spend huge amounts of time walking stores, observing how people move, what they stop for, what they ignore. That simple act of watching is how you learn what truly connects. Sometimes it’s the headline-grabbing concept store; sometimes it’s a small, unexpected detail that makes a customer smile. Those moments of recognition, big or small, are what build lasting relationships between brands and people.

I’ve been lucky to work alongside some of the brightest minds in this industry, people who’ve shaped how I think about design, strategy, and brand. They’ve helped me move from focusing on what a space looks like to what it feels like, from craft to meaning. And just as important, I’ve been challenged at home. My two daughters keep me plugged into what’s next. They share my love of creativity and physical experience but see it through their own lens, a generation that blends digital and physical instinctively and isn’t afraid to call out inauthenticity when they see it. They remind me daily that relevance is earned, not assumed.

Looking ahead, I don’t think retail’s role is diminishing; I think it’s expanding. Stores will continue to be vital cultural stages, but their purpose is shifting. They’ll be places to express values, to foster community, to showcase creativity in ways screens alone can’t. Some brands will succeed by being bold and disruptive, others by being quiet and intimate. The winners will be the ones who know which approach is right for them and their audience, and who execute it with authenticity.

For those entering the industry now, my advice is simple: stay curious, look closely, and listen carefully. Pay attention to how people actually behave in spaces. Experiment with both spectacle and subtlety, but always ask: does this resonate? Does this feel true? Craft matters, but connection matters more. And seek out mentors, collaborators, and challengers, the people who will help you stretch your thinking and sharpen your practice.

My own journey has taken me from shop floor beginnings to global creative leadership and agency strategy, but the thread running through it all has been the same: a belief in the power of physical experiences to tell stories that stick. Today I now work to help brands connect their thinking across touchpoints, and through Shop Drop Daily I share the best of what I see globally, from disruptive spectacles to softer, more intimate activations. Both keep me grounded in the reality of what’s happening IRL and inspired by what’s possible next.

And still, I come back to those childhood windows. They remind me why I fell in love with this industry: because retail, at its best, can stop you in your tracks, make you feel something, and pull you into a story that lingers long after you’ve walked away. Whether loud or quiet, grand or intimate, the future of retail will belong to those who create real moments that matter, moments that are authentic, relevant, and resonate deeply with the people they’re designed for.

Reference Links:

Tim Nash LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/tim-nash-uk

Shop Drop Daily – https://www.shopdropdaily.com/

Tim Nash Bio:

Tim Nash, a strategic creative, specialises in crafting physical experiences that engage IRL. With over 20 years of experience, he’s delivered activations and visual concepts for some of the most innovative brands globally. From a shop floor start to senior leadership roles, he now collaborates with diverse businesses to curate innovative campaigns that relevantly talk to their audience. Tim is also the driving force behind Shop Drop Daily, a key retail resource focused on reshaping its future.