For years, digital transformation was largely about moving experiences onto screens. Companies invested billions in websites, mobile apps, automation and self-service portals. Customers appreciated the convenience, though something unexpected happened along the way: As digital interactions became frictionless, they also became increasingly interchangeable.

Today, organizations are discovering a powerful competitive advantage in the opposite direction. The next wave of innovation is not replacing human experience but amplifying it. Artificial intelligence, spatial computing, robotics, real-time analytics and connected devices are enabling organizations to create richer live-action experiences that generate stronger customer relationships, deeper learning and entirely new sources of growth.

According to a PwC research survey , 64% of customers report that visiting a store or location in person significantly influences their final decision. It was actually the second-most popular final decision touchpoint, ranking only behind comparing prices between brands.

The in-person experience still matters. The organizations that can provide innovative, engaging and even unexpected live-action experiences will better position themselves to acquire and retain customers.

Experience Has Become the Product

Consumers rarely remember efficient transactions. They remember meaningful moments.

Whether attending an immersive sporting event, participating in a collaborative design workshop, visiting an interactive museum or walking through an AI-enhanced retail store, people increasingly value experiences that engage multiple senses while allowing them to participate rather than simply observe.

This shift represents a profound business opportunity. Rather than asking, “How do we automate this interaction?”, innovative organizations are increasingly asking, “How do we make this experience unforgettable?”

That subtle change in thinking reshapes products, services, marketing, customer success, education, healthcare and entertainment.

Live-Action Experiences Build Trust And Human Connection

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of live-action experiences is their ability to create trust and human connection between a business and its customers. A survey from The Harris Poll found that 76% of consumers felt a physical retail experience helped them connect more deeply with brands. The number was even higher among Gen Z and Millennials, many of whom are looking for ways to disconnect and engage in more “real-life” experiences.

Because of this, a growing number of organizations are tapping into their creativity to provide more ways for their brand to create opportunities for in-person connection. Many businesses are even trying to become third places , spaces where individuals can connect with others outside of home and work.

Bookseller Barnes & Noble’s resurgence can be partially attributed to this philosophy. In addition to giving individual stores more leeway to adjust layouts and offerings based on local interests, the addition of the Barnes & Noble Café and hosting author events are just some of the ways the brand has focused on fostering human connections to turn its stores into a third place for readers.

When a retailer’s location becomes a place to foster other human connections, customers naturally also begin to develop a sense of connection to the retailer itself. Facilitating meaningful real-life experiences can become a powerful way to get customers returning again and again.

Live-Action Experiences Do Not Need To Be Sales-Focused

It is worth noting that directly driving sales does not have to be the primary goal for an in-person experience. In fact, many of the most engaging events and experiences will not have any kind of sales focus. Instead, the emphasis on awareness and human connection will create long-term dividends with the business’s target audience.

For example, Las Vegas law firm Shook & Stone recently held a community outreach event in which the firm gave out $10,000 in free gas at a local gas station. Hundreds of drivers showed up for the event, at which the firm’s founding partners John Shook and Leonard Stone engaged in direct outreach with participants.

In this instance, the event was only tangentially related to the firm’s practice area of vehicular accidents. That was not the point. By engaging with the community unexpectedly, the firm was able to build trust and human connection in a way that would not have been possible otherwise and would leave a lasting impression with attendees.

Such experiences can be particularly powerful on a community or regional level, where word of mouth and reputation can have an even greater impact on customer growth and retention.

Of course, innovation in live-action experiences can extend well beyond community outreach and awareness. Many brands are using in-person events to create entirely new experiences for their most loyal fans, helping strengthen existing connections and ensure lasting loyalty and engagement.

Hence, we see many brands that have been primarily known for more digital products branching out into real-life experiences. Netflix’s Netflix House aims to provide fans with interactive experiences based on its most popular shows. Nintendo has branched into theme parks through partnerships with Universal Studios.

In a similar vein, fan conventions, theatrical productions and pop-up events at festivals like SXSW aim to provide fully immersive experiences that can be a dream come true for die-hard fans, while also creating potential entry points for new audiences.

Such live-action experiences aim to repackage a familiar and beloved IP in an unexpected, interactive way. They do not just drive more engagement; they also serve as an additional source of revenue. Ideally, the positive associations that come from the in-person events will spur attendees to go on to buy additional products in the future.

Five Actions To Take Today

Do not need to wait for tomorrow’s technology — begin now.

  1. Design experiences instead of processes. Map the emotional journey rather than simply the operational workflow. Ask how customers, employees or partners should feel — not merely what they should do.
  2. Use AI to augment people, not replace them. Deploy AI to eliminate repetitive work while increasing opportunities for meaningful human interaction.
  3. Measure moments that matter. Traditional productivity metrics remain valuable, but organizations should also evaluate engagement, trust, participation, learning and relationship quality.
  4. Experiment continuously. Pilot immersive events, AI-assisted workshops, interactive retail concepts, customer communities and hybrid experiences. Innovation often emerges through small experiments rather than large transformations.
  5. Develop experience-centered leadership. Future leaders will need fluency in technology, behavioral science, design thinking, storytelling and systems thinking. Building these capabilities today creates durable competitive advantage tomorrow.

Innovation Is Becoming More Human

The greatest irony of the AI era may be this: as machines become increasingly capable, distinctly human live-action experiences become increasingly valuable. Innovation is no longer simply about making work faster. It is about making life richer.

Organizations that combine AI’s extraordinary analytical capabilities with empathy, creativity, collaboration, curiosity and authentic human connection will create experiences competitors struggle to replicate.

In the years ahead, growth will increasingly belong not to organizations with the most technology, but to those that most thoughtfully integrate technology into experiences that people genuinely remember.