Retail design

Retail design is a multidisciplinary field of architecture and interior design concerned with the design and construction of retail environments. It also draws on industrial design, graphic design, ergonomics, and advertising.

Retail design is a specialized discipline concerned with the functional and commercial requirements of retail space. Because retail environments are designed to display and sell products to consumers, their layouts and physical features are planned to support the shopping experience and the presentation of merchandise.

Research has shown that aspects of the physical retail environment can influence shoppers' behaviour and evaluations. For example, one study found that accidental interpersonal touch affected shopping time and consumers' evaluations of brands. The design of a retail space also varies according to the type of merchandise being sold; for example, a bookstore may require extensive shelving for categorized products, while a clothing store may require more open space for product display. The space must be specially-tailored to the kind of product being sold in that space; for example, a bookstore requires many large shelving units to accommodate small products that can be arranged categorically while a clothing store requires more open space to fully display product.

Retail spaces, especially when they form part of a retail chain, must also be designed to draw people into the space to shop. The storefront must act as a billboard for the store, often employing large display windows that allow shoppers to see into the space and the products inside. In the case of a retail chain, the individual spaces must be unified in their design.