← Ideas/Retail

You Can't AI Your Way to an Experience

1 min read
Rendering of the Electric Pickle restaurant and social house entrance at The Resort, with palm trees and lavender

Electric Pickle just broke ground at The Resort, and it got me thinking about where the moat is now.

Aerial rendering of Electric Pickle at The Resort, with pickleball courts, a lawn, and two buildings
Electric Pickle at The Resort, rendering

AI can write the ad, design the logo, and answer the leasing inquiry. It can’t give you a night out with friends, a paddle in your hand, and a crowd around the court.

Rendering of the Electric Pickle outdoor bar with stools and tables under trees
Rendering of the Electric Pickle lawn at sunset with string lights, lounge chairs and a stage

That part is getting more valuable, not less. The more of life that moves onto a screen, the more people want the things that can’t.

Rendering of the Electric Pickle corner on Resort Parkway, with a rooftop sign and a coffee window
Overhead site plan rendering of Electric Pickle, with pickleball courts, a lawn and two buildings

For retail real estate, that’s the play. Give people a reason to show up.

Wayne Williams
Written by Wayne

VP of Retail Marketing at Lewis Retail Centers. 25 years leading marketing and sales across commercial real estate, live sports, and entrepreneurship.

More about me

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