It seems like change has been the only constant since COVID-19 hit the retail industry. In parallel, retail design has also evolved boosted by new entrants, existing player’s expansion plans, infrastructure augmentation, and new retail categories emergence.
The expansion of the Indian retail industry can be credited to changing demographics, rising consumer income levels, a better quality of life, and easy credit availability.
The current generation of the population is highly aspirational and possesses a large appetite to experiment, and this is driving the extension of this industry. This growth has been ably aided by various supply drivers, namely, new entrants, expansion plans of existing players, infrastructure augmentation and the emergence of new retail categories. All these factors, together, have set the ball rolling for the massive enlargement of the industry.
Today, the needs of users, the user experience and the availability of goods and services have changed. Retail design now involves an understanding of the aesthetic value, performance and functionality of the spaces. Meeting the changing needs of future generations while creating safe and flexible public spaces is what encompasses the basic criteria of designing retail spaces. There is also responsibility towards the environment and establishing strong communication between retail brands and the consumer class. All these factors together are paving the way towards a massive change altering the way we conceptualise and envision our retail and commercial spaces.
Emerging trends suggest that these departmental stores are soon appearing on the top priority lists of the average punter in metropolitan cities. This is attributed to the extremely busy young populace as they seem to derive the immense pleasure of convenience and exposure to a plethora of products, all under one roof.
Organised Retail is going to witness a welcome change with the projected inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and major investments in the multi-brand retail sector of India. This flux allows architects and designers to set new standards of design suitably for the Indian context.
While designing shopping complexes, it becomes essential to revisit some of our old bazaar models and current-day popular neighbourhood markets to draw inspiration. It is noticed that Indian Bazaars are highly popular among Indian shoppers as they are attracted towards closely connected shopping streets and open courtyards with a lot of activity and energy.
However, with the advent of technology and replication of American models, the concept of malls have become popular. With mechanically ventilated environments, these setups consume more energy and become expensive, both for the retailer and the buyer. Hence, there is a need to break the monotony of these box-type malls and recreate the charm of streets and squares within the same confines.
A new trend in retail design
This concept of high-street shopping is going to be the new trend in retail design. Formulating the right tenant mix and its placement in a shopping complex with designated zoning can help formulate a clear picture and ease the shopping experience of every buyer. Moreover, there is also a need for open spaces as these spaces are important for promotion and marketing. It is evident that in the Indian context, these spaces play a major role as congregation spots for celebrations and related shopping activities.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the retail sector, in particular, was hard hit and saw a huge decline in footfall in shopping malls and commercial spaces. Even with the reducing impact of the pandemic, people are hesitant to visit the closed and compact air-conditioned shopping malls to avoid the commonly circulated air. Safety precautions have been at the forefront, with a demand for open-air spaces on the rise. People have now started to prefer open-to-sky public areas more than closed shopping centres. Hence, we can infer that the high-street open haat typology, with large, open and non-air-conditioned public piazzas, is the future of the retail sector.
Conclusively, as commercial spaces become the focus of our future developments, it is necessary to create innovative and environmentally conscious designs that minimise the negative impact of buildings and enhance their energy efficiency.
