Shop Trends to watch in 2017

12/01/2017

MRA Director Anshu Srivastava was pleased to be asked to contribute to a recent article in Drapers - Jill Geoghegan asked five leading interior design firms how the best store designs will drive trade in 2017. Anshu commented: "Digital, localisation and a small footprint will be key for 2017. My clients are all asking how they can converge digital and store. Shoppers are using social media and mobiles to shop like never before, so retailers are wondering how the store fits into that narrative – it will be a real driving issue for next year. For example, we are working with a US tech company that provides 3D visual recognition from a retailer’s website and brings it in store, so if a shopper takes a picture of a product it automatically brings up information on the piece and an option to buy online. That’s hugely powerful and will influence how the physical store is designed, such the positioning of kiosks. Retailers are also looking for smaller stores. The cost of rent and rates means shops need to be smaller and work harder. We will see more shops becoming part of the distribution chain. If you have 300 stores across the country, it’s a no brainer to use them to fulfil online deliveries. In the same vein data is also becoming more important, particularly data from local stores. In order to compete with online, retailers will be looking at what stock is selling well where and will be shifting products between stores to have the maximum impact." Read the full article here: drapersonline.com/shop-trends-to-watch-in-2017