“Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” Mark Twain once said to a reporter who was running down a rumor. That quote could easily refer to the state of today’s retail industry. Despite the news of bankruptcies and store closures, retail is very much alive.

That’s because successful brands have realized that the purpose of place has changed. Customers expect a seamless journey across every channel — from physical, to digital, and social. And physical stores, which emphasize engagement over transaction, are vital to that equation. According to IHL Group, for every company closing a store, 2.7 companies are opening one, and 77 percent of Gen Z prefer physical over online stores, according to Accenture. While retail as we once knew it may no longer be the same, the industry is as vital as it’s ever been.

CUSTOMERS WANT UNIQUE EXPERIENCES BEYOND PRODUCTS AND TRANSACTIONS

Consumers’ desire for engagement means that there’s been a renewed focus on service in the physical retail environment. They want to interact with humans over screens. Retailers must think of employees as consultants who add value to the larger brand experience, providing expertise and customizing their experiences. Quality of service is critical to overall brand success, and failing to deliver negates even the most exceptional physical space.

Typically, retailers measure the ROI of their operational and financial commitment based on traditional metrics like year-on-year sales and dollars per transaction. But since the goal of brand engagement is bigger than product sales, those metrics alone aren’t sufficient. Quantitative and qualitative measures are now on equal footing. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) should reflect brand engagement like awareness, media impressions, entertainment and social interaction, dwell time, and online sales lifts. These new metrics are critical to understanding how consumers spend their time.

As important to retailers embracing what customers want is honoring what they don’t. Digital isn’t going to solve retail. Technology must always be in service to the customer. Take Gen Z, which is on track to become the largest generation of consumers by 2020, according to Forbes. Inundated with technology, Gen Z doesn’t want digital-driven spaces; they want tactile spaces where they can see, touch, and feel things. Technology that gets in the way — like big flashing screens or extraneous apps — can be perceived as gimmicky, a death knell to brand trust and authenticity.

Retailers of the future could take a cue from these digital natives. In an age of Snapchat, pop-ups, and driverless cars, it’s no longer enough to be a retail store. The future is seamless, personal, and engaging. To stand out, brands must provide something unexpected and fresh that keeps people coming back, again and again.