Future trends

The dynamic of the retail landscape is changing in every aspect, affecting the way we shop and the very nature of our relationship with retailers.

The future challenges for retail designers are wider and more complex than ever before. As the landscape continues to change, retail design will be about facilitating the orchestration of individuality and creating experiences that deliver, in a unique way, those things that the consumer simply cannot encounter anywhere else.

The continuing rise of competitive pressures

The unceasing competitive pressures will also mean that retail design will need to do far more, cost less and deliver total flexibility in the future. Consumers are looking to stores for experiences and interaction on a level far beyond any other buying channel, So designers must consider

• how they design-in service
• how they create seductive product presentations and paths-to-buy
• how they create environments and interiors that are individual, compelling, and full of personality and spirit.

The homogenisation of the High Street

Changes emerging as a result of the growing influence of supermarkets and the ease and convenience of shopping via the internet create a real possibility that there will be a whole generation of consumers growing up who will not experience the rich diversity of an organically created retail community that has personality, individuality and choice. The adjacencies of small independent shops with multi-nationals creates diversity and a reason for consumers to visit towns and cities to satisfy both their needs and their wants. This collective individuality has driven consumer traffic flow. The mixed retail community offers:

• surprise
• individual not corporate opinion
• choice
• continual change
• owner-operated passion

and therefore genuine service and customer recognition.

Ironically these ingredients are the very things that consumers today desire from brands and retailers alike.

The decline of local relevance

Local relevance offers potentially some of the biggest rewards for retailers and for the community. If shops can create a sense of belonging, brands can develop loyalty and advocacy among their customers. But creating local relevance is also one of the biggest challenges for retail designers.