How are interdisciplinary collaborations impacting the interior design industry?

The pandemic has become a part of history, but not its effects. Those dark times changed some things, and surprisingly, those things stayed. Some of the popular ones were hybrid and remote work models, but that's not it. It also impacted consumer behaviour, hence affecting the retail industry.

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As audience behaviours were heavily altered at the time, brands and retailers started collaborating to satiate the evolving needs of the consumers. Interdisciplinary and industry collaborations expanded in the food, music, and hospitality sectors more than in any other sector. The interior design industry also felt the vibrations of this concept and used it in its favour.

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In today's world, buyer profiles are still changing, and brands have to be fast to catch up with their target audiences. The key strategy to cope with the changing dimensions of the market is to be more flexible and adapt to new trends. That's one of the prime reasons why brands started building alliances. It can be hard to replace or reimagine physical stores within a timeframe of six months or a year, so they started partnerships for ‘survival’. Moreover, it also opened a new stream to attain new audiences and enhance the brand's visibility while maintaining sustainable profits.

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Is it essential? What does it mean for the brands?

With consumers starting to see products and services as memories and experiences, it becomes clear that launching new products won't be beneficial if they don't hold any special meaning to them. Meaning, retailers will have to pick up the niches and causes to support and collab with on-ground experts.

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And, these interdisciplinary associations will help the designers to touch various sections of consumer behaviour and analyse them on a better level. Integrating psychological, social, or literary concepts to meet the targeted ROI would surely work in their favour. Moreover, it will be a crucial concept to get discovered and maintain a more meaningful connection with their audiences.

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While establishing a partnership of any kind in the business world, the work is divided between various fields, meaning specialists get to focus on their domain. By splitting up the work, designers can come up with more comprehensive concepts and formats, as the rest is overseen by experts.

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Brands and retailers will have to observe if the alliance would benefit them or showcase their values and impact their storytelling.

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How this concept is being transformed and used by the brands and what are its effects in the designing industry is what we will discuss next.

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Collabs for Social Impact

With the emergence of social movements, the younger generation started demanding flexibility, transparency, and accountability. This has also become a fundamental factor for buyers while making a purchasing descision.

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Through this, concepts of body positivity, localisation, and inclusivity also surfaced, and brands had to leverage these traits to become good brand citizens. For this purpose, alliances between diverse brands and nonprofits started to rise. This was clearly visible through the in-store designs, which acted as a way to spread awareness about both the brand and the cause it stands for while also spreading the word about the partnership.

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That's why brands are establishing long-term business relations with influencers and artists to create special spaces within the store that shows brand's support towards their values.

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Adding repurposed elements

Only 13% of the products are recycled after being used. That's an alarming fact considering the deteriorating conditions of the planet. People's expectations regarding this case have skyrocketed, and they are analysing brands with hawk eyes to see if these are the brands that can satisfy their social needs.

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New design possibilities are coming up as consumers demand eco-friendly practices and more sustainable products. The easiest way that retailers are coping with this demand is by partnering with vendors practising environmentally conscious practices.

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Furniture, artwork, and textile companies that make their products from the recycled materials and work towards building a zero-carbon footprint are being preferred more by the designers. It's even more beneficial from a brand’s prespective because they can easily slip this fact in any of their PRs, videos, or interviews.

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Niche and large retailer partnerships to appeal GenZ

Because the world is adopting a more local-centric approach, brands also have to find a way to align themselves with this need. So, they are looking up local or micro collabs where only one product line is curated. But, those products are of the highest quality and are launched with limited editions, surpassing quality over quantity.

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Even big retailers are partnering with small brands to curate those limited-edition projects while maintaining their integrity and adding a spunk to their brand through the partnership. And, the smaller brand gets to tap into a wider audience and get its name with a larger brand.

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That's why these alliances are on the rise, as they appeal to buyers and work in favour of brands and retailers.

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Technology and experiential design

The integration of technology into the physical stores is not an uncommon knowledge. Whether it's a sensorial wall or digital screens, technology has enhanced the buyer's experience.

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VR and AR technology has not remained a gamer's thing; the shifting narrative regarding technology in society is what pushed retailers to allow it in their domain. Now, with the arrival of artificial intelligence, the retail sector is providing an even more personalised and accessible consumer service. Not only that, these technologies have allowed designers to come up with innovative designs and co-create with AI, resulting in a more efficient and effective process.

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Concluding Note

Cross-industry and disciplinary collaborations have opened a new window for design firms to reach out to their audience and engage on a deeper level while also luring the younger generation. These partnerships have even given rise to experience design centres that are on the road to becoming a norm. There are many more potential opportunities still waiting to be unveiled, and it will be interesting to witness how retailers and brands navigate their way through these plains.