Online shopping today is missing one key ingredient that has long been fundamental to the retail industry: The shopper experience. By imbibing this x-factor — experience factor — in their e-commerce strategy, retailers can exponentially increase the success of their online channels. Here’s how.

People don’t go to malls or large stores to merely buy things. They go there for the entire sight and sound experience of shopping. It is fairly common for groups of families or friends to get dressed up to visit malls, take selfies, eat together, and generally treat shopping as a coveted pastime. Retailers understand this, of course. And so, they create differentiated experiences to engage shoppers deeply. They train salespeople to help shoppers make decisions.