As online shopping continues to proliferate, does the demand for brick and mortar cease to exist and will it survive? Daniel Herman argues in his essay, ‘The Next Big Thing’ from the Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping that 'Architecture was never so lively and never so crude. This is the architecture of shopping. It is unstable, always in transition. It is obvious in its tactics but confident in its ability to seduce, for however brief an interlude’ . Similarly, it is impossible to stay current with the demands of the ever changing shopping environment. As the retail market becomes more and more saturated with an endless string of pop-up stores and emerging brands, retailers are constantly searching for new ways to appeal to different markets. Daniel Herman explains how ‘retail architecture doesn't age; it rises young.’ The ones that grow through expansion and renewal are the opens that keep their originality, the ones that keep their youth and meet the needs of any new generation these are the shops of the future. Furthermore, the retail establishments seem to follow a …show more content…
This is demonstrated by examining the history of retail design and the influence that it still plays on how we retail outlets are designed today. To illustrate the evolution of retail design with reference to past, current and future developments.
‘Retail spaces can be defined and identified through different retail sectors. These sectors can be broadly described as food the evolution of the market into supermarket and speciality food stores; fashion clothing, shoes, accessories and beauty products; home DIY, furniture, fabrics and cookware; and leisure and entertainment sport, technology, travel and finance. Each sector has been influenced through social and economic conditions, politics, history and the development of design
Over the years, the American department store has developed and evolved as not only a commercial business but also a cultural institution. While it has weathered many storms and changes since its inception and throughout history, its most predominant enemy has been a change in the lifestyle of the American people (Whitaker, 2013). As the customer’s needs and wants have shifted, department stores have struggled to keep up with demands. It has been argued that the decline of the department store has been ongoing for the last 50 years (Whitaker, 2013). This dissertation aims to understand how the department store has historically played a role in consumer culture and spending, and additionally, how this has evolved and changed in today’s retail market. Although department stores may not be able to take all the credit for inventing modern shopping, they certainly made its conventions and conveniences commonplace. They set a new standard for the way the consumer should expect to be treated, the type of services that should be provided, and the convenience that should attend the process of acquiring the necessities and niceties of life all in one place. They made shopping into a leisure pastime. This environment meant shopping was a means of freedom to look around, pick up objects with no obligations to buy. As one historian remarked, department stores: “encouraged a perception of the building as a public place, where consumption itself was almost incidental to the delights of a sheltered promenade in a densely crowded, middle-class urban space” (Whitaker, 2006). Although this perception and view of the department store has changed over the years, this paper aims to follow the trail of how and why that happened.
In times of overconsumption shopping is considered today to be a stressful, exhausting and time consuming situation to the postmodern consumer. In order to bring back the interest of the postmodern consumer to visit the store, retail has surrender to Internet by providing all the necessary information on the new trends in social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and main Websites that gives us the opportunity to participate in the new means of consumption by giving us voice as society became dominated by the power of digital information, also allowing us to shop online. The disadvantage of a postmodern society to brands and capitalists is that consumers can now dictate their own methods of consumption therefore opting to avoid a physical shop visit and instead it can be possible to do it at their homes. By understanding the story of branding spaces and its cultural impact I intend to share my ideas on the current social and political situation of retail by using local examples such as the extravagant yet powerful Selfridges flagship store in London by describing their methodologies used for a effective costumer experience in comparison to its competitors, their ethos towards the environment and how it relevant it became for the British economy. In this essay I will also share my opinion (as a costumer) on what could be done for an improvement within brands and how does it affects society moralities and the cultural impact.It can be understood by statement above the importance of an environment that stores should provide to its costumers. Without any excitement factors within the space there will not be any other reason for costumers to spend their money in stores. As well as product quality and set prices, the more ex...
JCPenney is one of the largest department stores and largest catalog merchant in the United States. This store is having problems with the changes in the consumer habits, and they realized that Millennials’ expectations are different. The Old Way to grab and attract other generations is not working with them, something appreciates through many ups and downs of the company. JCPenney is changing their strategy, and now they are applying the consumer psychology, which tells the customers what they want to hear. As a result, the sales are growing and, for this moment they are getting to stop the bleeding (Tannahill, 2016).
In recent times it has been well documented and reported that the way in which retailing is changing. Alongside the former methods of ‘’bricks and mortar’’ stores, modern day retailers must now ensure that their goods and services are available by means of various streams, including websites and mobile apps. (Benady, D. 2014) But it is not only retailing which have changed; the consumer is becoming savvier and increasingly sophisticated. Consumers are expecting more from retailers and now expect a ‘’seamless shopping experience’’ however way in which they may interact with the retailer. (Benady, D. 2014)
“The retail landscape has shifted toward e-commerce, but there are opportunities for department stores to capitalize
In the article “Amazon.com is a 21st Century Deal with the Devil”, Amy Koss of the LA Times depicts the website giant Amazon.com as the devil. Koss describes a mall that is like a ghost town with its empty stores and chained doors. (Koss 1) Koss talks about the ease of internet shopping; one can click a button and order almost anything and have it delivered right to their doorstep. (Koss 1) This article points out how internet shopping has decreased human interaction. (Koss 1) It also discusses the struggling of big box stores which often result in the loss of retail jobs. (Koss 2) In conclusion, Koss’s belief is that the “evil” internet has not only changed how humans purchase goods, but also changed the human way of life.
While focusing on retail design that started from simple signage to a whole packaged environment that tells a story and how that effects users. One of the main goal’s of retail stores is to create an experience that leaves customers with a memorable impression. Using branding, materiality, colors, decor, furniture to model identity through an environment that embodies the customer’s personality and lifestyle. Retail also combines insertions of other sections in EGD in retail— the comfort in navigation and wayfinding in the space; the signage outside and inside the store; as well as designing for pricing or other in-store information; and the traffic patterns of the architectural
In designing the buildings, the storefront is a key focus, with its large public doors, heavy use of glass, display windows, and entrance signage. Much like today, a storefront often serves as its own advertisement to pedestrians or drivers passing by and as such becomes a heavy focus for a store’s design. As in the case of the Kress stores they established their brand in a shiny gold handwritten font over a green back...
Goss argues that developers and designers of the built environment, specifically shopping centers and malls, use the power of place and understanding the structural layout of the space to boost consumption of the retail profits. Shopping centers are separated from the downtown area of shopping, either by distance and/or design. These establishments emerge for many to be the new heart and location for public and social life. In his article The "Magic of the Mall": An Analysis of Form, Function, and Meaning in the Contemporary Retail Built Environment, Goss also argues that the regulation of the spaces within the mall creates an atmosphere of "community" rather than one that is "public". This article’s main argument is that developers manufacture an illusion of doing more than just shopping when designing malls and shopping centers.
Even when stores were closed, people flocked to malls for the ability to be in a social setting and to see the art and the sculptures that were there. Malls were designed to maximize exposure to as many stores as possible. In the beginning there were two floors with easy access to both floors. The hope was that people would see the crowds on the other floor and be drawn to it, thus exposing them to more opportunities to buy things. James Rouse, a designer of malls, hoped to turn shopping centers into a miniature community, a place where people could gather to socialize. As time passed malls progressed to become less places for communities to gather, and more places where one goes to buy things. Malls are designed to tap into people’s desire to buy things in order for the stores to make more money. As malls shifted to become more based off consumerism, it displayed greater national trends as consumer culture grew. Consumers stopped shopping at small, local stores and turned to giant chain companies for their consumer needs. This change in consumers shopping trends was reflected by change in how malls were designed and created. Malls grew to reflect growing consumerism in
For this assignment I will be focusing on the following trends and how it directly relates to the retail industry. The first trend that I will be focusing on will be technology and how it plays an important role in retail. The next trend will be healthy eating which will help identify how and why many retailers are making great strides to dominate this trend. The last trend will be customer service, which is key to making a lasting impression.
Current retailing is a long way from easy. Consumer electronics and domestic appliances have recorded a 20% growth in 2011 and 65% in 2012. The advanced retailing industry records a high representative turnover, which builds the preparation, ta...
...nal supermarket retailers will reinvent themselves over a period of time, in order to attract and maintain a loyal customer base. New concepts, neighborhood marketing, and innovation will be the key to success over the next decade.” (Imlay, 2006) What is propose is that a smart mix of products, perhaps catering to demographic tastes and needs, may tempt the shopper not drive out to the big box store, but instead loyal to their local market.
The Internet is currently the third most shopped channel; brands are pushed to keep up with the trend of building an online shopping option for their consumers and this is evident through the increase in retailers offering online options for their consumers (Valerio). With solely digital stores like Net-A-Porter, Amazon and eBay, competition among digital stores and physical stores are tight. Retailers are pushed to keep up with the rise of digital shopping whether they want to or not. There are several retail implications with the rise of digital shopping, retailers are turning to multi-channel retai...
... concept is inadequate. The concept according to majority of retailers is just dressing a window, or just an unnecessary expenditure. The competitors’ today have an astonishing retail design stock and will have to compete purely on master merchandising and the technological edge.