DESIGN AND INNOVATION in retail: When the investment returns

The trend in physical stores is changing, and now there are stores without warehouses and we are increasingly seeing smaller but profitable stores.
What size is the ideal store? 1,500 m2 or 500 m2? The trend is to optimize space to achieve sustained and consolidated expansion, smaller checkouts, employees with mobile devices for off-site payment, etc. All of this is wrapped up in a strong application of design and adaptation to constant change.

In terms of store concepts, we see lightweight furniture that can carry a larger quantity of garments or items, optimizing costs from the design perspective, modular walls that grow and shrink according to the store's architecture and stock, allowing the store to renew itself daily, creating a dynamic sales floor.

Light, striking stores with a brilliant lighting system and no wasted space. Visual merchandising teams work overnight while the store is closed, completely changing the sales floor, constantly offering customers a fresh look.

Window displays and advertising have become much more focused and targeted, implementing new, more dynamic and effective elements such as digital screens, replacing old resources like billboards. The development of digital applications and strategies offer new possibilities for optimizing resources.

It's important to view these improvements and new practices as an investment that can have a medium- to long-term impact on reducing operating costs, improving customer experience, optimizing inventory management, and generating valuable information for business planning and management.