Store Design

How to Thrive in an Ever-Evolving Retail Landscape
April 4, 2023 at 9:21 am

The retail industry has undergone a dramatic transformation in the face of factors such as Amazon.com's dominance and an uncertain post-pandemic landscape. To stay successful, retailers have had to adapt their stores rapidly — from reworking layouts to setting up delivery or pickup areas — all while ensuring customer service is still at its highest…

Retailers Are Finally Bringing Digital Shopping Into Physical Stores
March 1, 2023 at 1:08 pm

During the early 2000s, while the retail industry was getting battered by e-commerce, grocery stores were seemingly safe. Twenty years — and a pandemic — later, much has changed; e-commerce and delivery services have transformed grocery retail. Today, when consumers visit a store, they enter with much higher expectations. A convenient and smooth, seamless shopping…

2023 Design Trends Forecast: Maximizing Brick-and-Mortar’s Utility
February 8, 2023 at 4:12 pm

The acceleration of e-commerce, two-day shipping, and the rise of experiential design has prompted the evolution of traditional brick-and-mortar from the retailer’s central point of sale into an expression of the brand that adapts to customers’ habits and industry trends. Architects and designers strive to maximize brick-and-mortar’s potential through meaningful and enticing in-person experiences. Looking…

Target Debuts New Larger-Format Store Focused on Online Fulfillment
November 10, 2022 at 11:40 am

Target has unveiled plans for its next-generation store design. At nearly 150,000 square feet, the retailer's new larger-format stores will optimize additional space in an effort to support same-day fulfillment services and deliver on its stores-as-hubs strategy for fulfillment of online orders. The new store format recently debuted in Katy, Texas, outside Houston, and is…

Immersive Audio Transforms the Retail Experience at the Speed of Sound
November 8, 2022 at 10:56 am

It’s been long established that music has the power to stir emotion and influence consumer behavior. In 1973, business professor Philip Kotler first addressed the science of sound in retail when he coined the term “atmospherics” for the practice of designing store environments to project a specific image and induce certain behaviors. In an article…

Conn's, Belk Partner to Launch Store-Within-a-Store Concept
June 1, 2022 at 11:45 am

The department store Belk is collaborating with the home goods and furniture retailer Conn's HomePlus to launch a store-within-a-store concept later this year. The new store format, which will launch under a new brand name soon to be announced, will give Belk customers access to Conn's home product categories, including furniture, home electronics and appliances, and…

An Overlooked Key to Gaining In-Store Shoppers' Confidence
March 3, 2022 at 1:29 pm

Even before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19, the brick-and-mortar retail industry was in trouble. Anchor tenants in malls were closing their doors, transforming once vibrant shopping centers into ghost towns. Independent retailers were struggling as they faced strong competition from online stores that didn’t have the high overhead of operating in expensive downtown areas.…

Where is Physical Retail Heading? Navigating 3 Diverging Strategies
February 1, 2022 at 3:59 pm

The way people shop in stores is changing. Concerns of safety still exist, and many people continue to practice social distancing. Furthermore, with the emergence of COVID-19 variants, in-store shopping behaviors are prone to shift overnight. Although all retailers are now operating in the same pandemic era, there's no consensus among them on what in-person…

Strategic Store Design is Critical to Meet Anticipated Increases in Holiday Traffic
December 13, 2021 at 12:27 pm

It's not news that the global pandemic has continued to complicate both back-of and front-of-house operations for retailers, but the holidays are coming, nonetheless. Several factors will serve to increase the pressure on physical retail locations this year. There's an increased desire to shop in stores and to shop earlier. Consider: 47 percent of consumers…

Rite Aid Redesigns Itself for Today's Customer
November 8, 2021 at 8:04 pm

In episode 323 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Andre Persaud, chief retail officer of Rite Aid, the trusted, everyday care connector operating over 2,500 retail pharmacy locations across 17 U.S. states. Persaud discusses Rite Aid's RxEvolution strategy, how the business is redesigning the in-store experience for its customers, and the internal cross-functional…