# Rhone, Anthropologie, Kohl's, Brunt, and Crocs Expand Stores as Digital-First Brands Reverse Course

*Five major brands doubled down on brick-and-mortar for 2027, betting physical retail drives conversion digital cannot match.*

By **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA, Principal** — The Stash Edge, Hako Shikin LLC.
Published 2026-10-13.

Canonical: https://www.pops4.com/stash/articles/brands-across-rhone-anthropologie-kohls-brunt-crocs-2026-10-13t18-3
Subject: Brands across Rhone, Anthropologie, Kohl's, Brunt, Crocs
Tags: retail expansion, brick-and-mortar, physical retail, customer acquisition, conversion mechanics

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Executives at Rhone, Anthropologie, Kohl's, Brunt, and Crocs announced plans to expand physical retail footprints heading into 2027, according to Modern Retail's Q4 2026 operations briefing. The coordinated pivot comes as brands reassess the lifetime value of digital-only customer acquisition against the sustained conversion rates of in-store experiences.

The brands cited three mechanics: physical stores reduce return rates, trial converts first-time buyers at higher rates than digital sampling, and foot traffic generates word-of-mouth that paid social cannot replicate at scale. Rhone and Brunt, both digitally native brands, specifically noted that customers who visit stores before their first online purchase show **30-40 percent** higher repeat rates, according to the executives quoted in Modern Retail.

The underlying mechanism is sensory friction. Physical products depend on touch, fit, and material weight—attributes video cannot communicate at conversion threshold. A customer who handles a Crocs clog or tries on Rhone joggers in-store has already crossed the return barrier. They have committed time, experienced the product under retail lighting, and validated size in real time. The conversion is pre-vetted. Digital-first acquisition pushes that validation to post-purchase, when a customer receives the product at home, tries it in their own context, and decides whether to keep or return. The return rate gap funds the rent.

Brick-and-mortar also creates geographic density that paid media cannot match. A store in a high-traffic district generates walk-by impressions at zero marginal cost per view. Anthropologie's store expansion leans into this: the brand positions locations as discovery engines, not just transaction points. Customers browse, photograph, share, and return later—often online. The store becomes the ad.

The steal is a roadshow model. A small physical-product brand cannot lease retail space in fifteen cities, but it can rent temporary space or partner with existing retailers for in-store trial weekends. Book a corner table at a local design shop, farmers market, or co-working space. Bring inventory, a fitting mirror, and a QR code for post-event purchase. Run the event in one city per month. Track the cohort: measure first purchase, repeat rate, and lifetime value against digital-only cohorts acquired the same month. If the in-person cohort shows higher repeat rates, expand the roadshow. If not, stop.

The cost line: **$200-$500** per event (table rental, local ad spend, travel). You do not need permanent retail. You need fifteen Saturdays where customers handle the product before they decide to buy. Run it as a test, not a lease.

This is not a return to 2015 retail. Brands are not abandoning digital. They are layering physical touchpoints into digital acquisition funnels because the unit economics prove the model. If Crocs and Rhone are betting rent over Meta ads, the signal is clear: sensory friction converts better than scroll-stopping creative.

## The takeaway

Physical trial converts higher and returns less—roadshow the product before you lease the space.

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## Publisher

**Hako Shikin LLC** — Virginia Beach, Virginia. Founded 1997. ASI 217876 · DUNS 18-204-6339.
Principal and author: **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA**.

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