Retail sector in India is one of the fastest growing sector which is undoubtedly an experimental motley consistently going through a trendy transformation. One can always visualize, new store formats, new customer – product interaction technologies, revamped business strategies etc. to create more self-serving and personal experiences for the customer while shopping. We have seen an exponential rise in the importance to store design strategies, with innovative and funky designs ruling the market. An important aspect of luring the customer into the brand is its appearance which defines the label and sets it apart. More and more people are realising this factor, and retail design has become a market on its own, everywhere!
With the advent of e-commerce, offline retail stores seeks out for more interactive customer interaction and experience, leading to boom of various design studios, experience center for forward thinking brands. With the increasing urbanization, digitalization, demonetization, GST implementations and eased FDI norms, retail sector in India has seen a great turn over in 2017. Stores aren’t just seeking out to sell products but also inspire and connect to customers on personal front to nurture an emotional relation between the brand and the customer to decipher consumer consumption behavior and demand.
The retail design is booming at a fast pace to chalk out traditional sales transaction and increase transparency with customers and create brand advocacies. Let us have a look at what’s trending in retail sector:
1. Building up of the lifestyle impact of the brand identity
The retail outlet doesn’t just sell products but also promotes a subtle sales message of the brand lifestyle which becomes the part and parcel of the customer lifestyle as well. Hence, it is important that the interior space planning of the retail outlet reflect well, the brand identity, culture and ethos so that the same can be personified by the client.
2. Promoting Transparency towards customer through store interiors
It is vital to be transparent with customer to build a strong permanent and loyal relation. The emergence of experience centers caters to the fact that customers should be aware about the execution and cost of making the product in order to co create product and services with brand ethos. The interior retail space themed as polish + rugged is the epitome of transparency as the very naive brick walls – old, withered and worn is left exposed in the well-furnished space.
3. “Feel it… live it!” is the new brand promotion taglines
Most of the stores, keep the execution material in display as a prop for the clients to feel and try the product before buying. This not only assures decent quality of the product, but also helps the brand to attain first hand customer feedback. The display of such retail outlets is planned in a fashion to enhance customer interaction with the product in order to create brand awareness and reduce returns. As the retail layout moves out from the pristine polished feel to the magpie chic, juxtaposition of styles, materials and finishes streamlines in the latest trends of retail design. Natural and industrial, vintage and modern, old and new is the feel of today’s offline stores!
4. Create a cozy environ and comfortable walk through in the store
It is mandatory for a retail outlet to apprehend customer journey and mark out the priority wise touch point’s zones for high demand products. The customer journey can be made comfortable with well-planned exterior lights, and addition of biophilia experience to the entire retail outlet. Use of technology, to make the store interactive and informative for the customer also helps in brand awareness and creates clarity on brand principles and guidelines. This forms a visual world for shoppers to explore and share the experience further with others.
5. Conscious Consumerism is all you need!
Conscious Consumerism is the retail trend! The intricate handcrafted details with the use of recycled products and repurposed material, to highlight the latest collection or promote brand ethos allures customer’s attraction resulting in first hand marketing via consumers. Play of colors to emboss the recycled theme with the perfect light fixtures and few marketing graphics can make the still go live in the store.
Retail design planning has hiked from the era where products were merely arranged in line, or blocks to cater to the customer needs. With the rising competition in the e-commerce industry, selling isn’t just enough! Retail stores must add spice to the overall look and feel that the customer is tempted to walk in the store and buy the product rather than ordering online! Interior space planning, use of bright lights, layouting and furniture details plays a vital role in retail design and theme conceptualization.
