Image © Ryan Gobuty
Bracelets that project graphical interfaces directly onto a user’s skin. Customer-service systems that utilize drones. Efficient electronic payment systems devoid of any physical currency. The arrival of Gen Z.
If all that sounds like an ingredient list for some science fiction movie set in the future, think again. So many mind blowing innovations that were once confined to the imagination are being brought to fruition by companies and entrepreneurs seeking to gain tangible advantages over competitors. The pace of evolution in retail is fast and furious. Understanding the game changing trends that are just around the horizon has become a full-time undertaking.
In the spirit of challenging ourselves to stay one-step ahead of the curve and to design physical spaces that support the retail environment of the near future rather than the one in which we’re currently situated, Gensler’s retail team is launching the Consumer Insights Series. This series will take a close look at the trends, technological changes, and new ideas shaping how retailers interact with customers and carve out unique, profitable niches within a dynamic global marketplace. Over the next few months we will examine the importance of personal delivery, the rise of exclusivity within certain retail segments, the concept that participation has become the new consumption, and myriad other topics pertaining to what customers want and how better design can retailers deliver it.
The topics we explore will at times sound like something out of this world, but we assure you they are very real and very consequential in the ever changing retail marketplace.