Looking towards the future
So what's next for store design and
space planning? In such a
forward-thinking industry,
technological advances are going to be
key in the next few years.
Visual merchandising is a primary sales
driver within retail environments. When
designers are able to truly 'experience'
their designs through the consumers' lens,
proposals can be optimized to captivate
potential customers. Mixed reality
solutions will transform the way that
designers and stakeholders review, revise
and approve designs before they are
finally executed. Questions like: "is that
signage big enough", "will those colors
catch our audience's eye", and "does it 'feel'
like we are trying to create an 'x,y,z'
experience" can be answered with more
confidence after experiencing design
options in an immersive way.
Another trend in this space are pop-up stores which are built fast and taken down even faster.
These stores are normally used as a starting point for new retail ventures. To figure out how to
optimize every square foot of space, they require easy to use and fast design software. Using 3D
tools like SketchUp, owners can figure out whether the merchandise will fit, where displays will be
located, and whether the store stands out or fits in within its current context.
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