Retail Design surviving COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a struggle for many economic sectors around the world. The retail industry needed to make use of e-commerce to be able to survive the lockdowns. However, as convenient as shopping online can be, the interaction and experience of going to the physical store cannot be replaced with some clicks on a screen. Retail Design will play a vital role in bringing the customers back again to the brick-and-mortar spaces. This thesis will focus on the different strategies that Interior designers are implementing for Retail spaces. Some of these new practices include the use of easy to clean materials, modern technologies that can help to make a design more functional, new circulations inside the stores, self-checkout systems, and last but not least, the creation of new experiences inside the retail spaces with more innovative ways to communicate visually and contact-sensitive with the customers. As a research methodology: literature analysis, case studies, and a practical design proposal will show different strategies used by retail designers to overcome the current situation