A survey of store design history, planning, materials, displays, process

1. Design Drives
Retail
You’ll never walk into a store
the same way again

2. Why is Retail Design critical?
It attracts customers
It stands out from competition
It adds value to merchandise
The best retailers develop a signature
design that is consistent in all elements of
their retailing. It’s part of their identity.

4. Elements of Retail Design
Merchandise Design
Display Design
Identity Design
Service Design

5. Elements of Retail Design
Merchandise
1. Early merchants sold to royalty and
developed their taste, e.g. Thomas
Joachim Hebert who designed &
sold furniture Louis XV
2. Great retailers are tastemakers
3. Study customer buying patterns
and feedback to improve design
4. Private Labels have best margins

7. Elements of Retail Design
Display
1. Merchandise presentation
2. Store exterior presentation
3. Store interior presentation

8. Elements of Retail Design
Presentation
• Ist retail stores: open air markets

32. Elements of Retail Design
Identity: Selling away from
the retail site
1. Sights on sidewalk:
shopping bags, T shirts
2. Print: billboards, magazine ads
3. Websites: social sites

37. Elements of Retail Design
Service

39. Retail Design
How can it be planned?
The Shopper’s Story

40. Retail Design is a
strategic tool: part of
Retail Strategic Plan:
1. Consumer Targets
2. Business Model
3. Merch-Services Mix
4. Touchpoints: Design

41. Touchpoints are every
contact a customer has with
your store and
your brand
in the store or
outside the store,
whether bricks and mortar
or on-line

42. Touchpoints =
customer contact points
that influence customer
thinking about the store and
it’s offerings,
that help make the sale

43. Influentials outside:
conversations w/friends,
teachers, role models,
sights on the sidewalk,
print media & online sites,
social media chat

44. Influentials inside:
store environment (exterior,
interior), store clerks, clerk
training (service, info),
managers, merchandise,
services, partners,
stockroom

45. How to plan
Retail Design

48. Analyze the customer
What/why do they buy?
What would they buy?
Store circulation patterns
Lifestyle trends
Fashion trends

49. Analyze the store

50. Plan the new store

59. Retail Design
Combination of
Two Worlds:
Hi Tech
Hi Touch

67. Retail Design
Brick and Mortar stores
are forever:
Entertainment
(merchantainment),
Companionship, Pampering

68. Bay Area Retail Design
Biggies
Let’s find A Good $ Job!
•
•
•
•
•
Gap
Gymboree
Levy’s
Williams Sonoma – Pottery Barn
Walmart.com

69. •
•
•
•
•
•
Retail Design Careers
Product design
Merchandising
Marketing – Branding
Store Design
Operations
Web design: SF state grad Shahn 1 st
year: $60k w/ bonuses: builds traffic w/
FB. Now doing product development:
sheets w/ athlete collar
• Salaries start low and go to $100,000+
• Sole proprietors: low to $100,000+

71. The Future of Retail
Design
Retail design changes and it changes
retail:
Mass media culture, fashion influences
1.Seeks new culture icons for attractors
2.Always looking for tech/social
innovation for competitive advantage

72. • New Retail Design Trends
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Brazil
Asia
Mall kiosks
Pop-ups
Mobile retail: carts, trucks, vend machines
Social retail
Gesture retail
Retail incubators
Branded vending machines

73. Retail Incubators
The Bay Area is generates new retail
concepts for an adventuresome
audience of buyers

74. Lower Haight/Fillmore area

75. Hayes Valley area

76. Valencia St area

77. 4th St Berkeley area

78. businessweek.com
fastcompany.com
contractdesign.com
vmsd.com

80. Substance
of
by
Virgina
Why
by
We
Paco
Style
Postrel
Buy
Underhill
Business Model Generation
by Osterwalder & Pigneur