Retail’s Evolution

As technology and online shopping continue to pile pressure on bricks and mortar retail, those who don’t adapt, remain relevant and offer an engaging experience are being forced to shut up shop. It’s a trend that can be seen the world over and there’s no love lost on the brands that fail. Consumers are a fickle species.

In today’s economy, we aren’t just expected to spend our hard earned cash when we visit stores, we’re expected to invest our hard earned free time. Retailers need to provide an experience that gives a compelling reason to visit in person. In the UK, The Portas Review recently identified issues affecting high street retailing—a view reflected by Deloitte’s Store of the Future report, which predicts that 40 percent of high street shops could close over the next five years.

However, I believe retail is in an exciting new phase. Long gone are the days when shopping was a trip to the mall or high street which resulted in a simple transaction of product and money. We now do this kind of transactional shopping online, at a time and in a location that suits our time pressured lives. A basic bricks and mortar presence is never going to change that—it’s just how we’ve evolved, so there’s no going back now. It’s retail’s equivalent to natural selection, but it does leave space for a new breed of retail experience.

We’re a tech savvy, informed consumer, and it takes a lot to be impressed. Flimsy integration of technology and yet another pop-up shop are no longer enough to engage. It’s no longer a novelty, it’s the norm. But more excitingly, boundaries are beginning to be blurred. Retail, entertainment, hospitality, exhibition, workplace and venue can be brought together to create a single, yet multifaceted experience.

Retail is more than just shopping: from department store to car showroom, it should be a bespoke experience that responds to unique individual needs and wants, and moves away from the old one size fits all mentality. This shift from ‘consume’ to ‘experience’ is driven by a shift in mindset. Consumers are now looking for more meaningful relationships with brands. Provenance, community, simplification and knowledge are values we will expect from retailers from the everyday to the luxury.

So, what is retail... a coffee shop? Or, a coffee shop that’s an office, a place to learn, a club, and a place that connects with its immediate community? A fashion store? Or a fashion store that is a restaurant, a live music venue and classroom? Retail brands need to continually evolve, grow empathy with their like minded customer, and stand strong against online channels by providing an experience that can never be achieved online.

An immersive, curated experience is where retail is heading—where previously defined boundaries are challenged and re-invented, becoming seamless, sensory and progressive. This evolution of retail is something I’m incredibly passionate about, and I continue to work with clients to address consumers’—and retailers’—changing priorities. In future blog posts I’ll begin to look at the various ways in which we can influence the way consumers experience shopping.

Owain Roberts is a retail design director and senior associate in Gensler’s London office. With a clear understanding that consumers see design as a single idea, not a series of separate elements, he encourages a seamless relationship between graphic design and environmental design to create complete retail experiences. His broad range of experience in environmental design covers both retail and commercial interiors and also branding exercises for high profile projects. Contact him at owain_roberts@gensler.com.