Elements of Retail Design:

The role of contemporary retail design is to integrate instinct, art, and commerce. Designers must understand the innate techniques gleaned from years of first-hand contact with customers while satisfying the objectives of those corporations whose chains of outlets have turned retailing into a science. The skills of the retail designer are used to stimulate a consumer's natural instincts to persuade him or her to consider a product or services, and then to facilitate its purchase or use so that the consumer feels comfortable with the choice made. The Challenge is to invent new kinds of retail environments which are both efficient (in terms of space, flexibility, and cost) and effective (to communicate the retailer's brand values and encourage consumer activity), in order to meet ever-tougher consumer demands.

The Importance of retail design, as opposed to shopfitting, emerged during the 1970s. It continued to extend its influence during the following decade, when it became essential to retailers' development strategies. In essence, the retail designer became involved in "communications" rather than simply being the means for finding solutions to physical problems.

The retail designer's task is to combine elements of psychology, technology and ergonomics with the retailer's knowledge of the market to develop an interior which is most likely to fit the consumer profile. While it is true that the basic principles of retail design may be divided between intuition, aesthetics, and practicality, in all three areas responsiveness is the key factor. In many ways, the retail designer's skill as an artist is to draw on a diversity of sources and experiences to achieve a successful result. Retail is a complex study which incorporates the management of people and space with the ability to respond t retail's most essential characteristic: change. Of most industries, retail is perhaps the most susceptible to the ever-changing demands of consumers, the economy, public policies and even the weather. Designers became involved in brand marketing and advertising through the manipulation of architectural volumes of space, and the effects that these environments had on consumer psychology. Today, however, there is ongoing debate as to whether a designer should specialize in retail, and even on whether the importance of interior design is overestimated. I would argue that retail design is a complex area, requiring increasing knowledge and experience - not readily available to most practitioners of interior design - to produce commercially viable working solutions for some very difficult retail operations. The retail sector is growing in sophistication. It is highly specialized in some sectors and requires understanding, speed and practical skills which take years ti develop. Designers with such abilities are of increasing value to retailers and support the retailers' decisions to invest substantial sums of money in the industry every year.

"Retail design is all about integrating demand & supply values of the business and respective product or service, creatively into the physical space available and sprinkled with brand elements, curated as per respective consumer behaviour." - Jenis Makwana

Many retailers invest in extensive market research and analysis. On the basis of these findings, the designers and retailer will work out a strategy, which may vary depending on the analysis and on the retailer concerned. The designer can adopt many approaches, from creating a new brand to initiating a strategy which evolves an existing brand over a period of years, some design companies have extended their businesses into strategy development (JM: The Design Consultant). The strategy may also include the use of style-prediction agencies and futurists. The advantage gained by the design consultancy as a strategist is communication with the retail company at a much higher level.