Design for future retailing: an investigation into the changing status of city-based retailers in the UK

This paper forms part of an on-going research project to critically examine how design enable city-based retailers to find new business opportunities through understanding transforming consumer behaviour patterns and its mutual relationship with city lifestyle transformations. In relation to the threat of declining physical retail store closures and the importance of those retailers towards city orientated social interactions, design and design thinking has been identified as the strategic tool to bridge current circumstances with possible future scenarios, which could achieve business innovation and long-term sustainable success. The primary method of data collection was achieved through public online review data and primary observational analysis with selected six retail outlets in this study to identify and examine how design is currently being utilised by retailers in their pursuit of innovation and new business models. This study categorised four aspects that demonstrated the values of design for retailers which are design for product innovation; design for in-store atmosphere creation and services; design for enhance multidimensional interactions; and design for add social and emotional value. Further work will be through collecting more detailed and qualitative research data to explore ways that design thinking can be used to identify latent customer needs.