2nd DRSF Colloquium

Sustainable retail and services futures

The Special Interest Group (SIG) Designing Retail & Services Futures from the Design Research Society (DRS) was established in 2021 under the guidance of the Design Research Society. The SIG strives to gain a better understanding of the value of design in the commercial sector, including disciplines, such as interior design, architecture, retail and hospitality, branding, marketing, strategic design, design management and consumer psychology. Design and its value have been a subject of study for many years and from many different disciplinary perspectives (ranging from product design to marketing, business economics, service design, management, environmental psychology, (interior)architecture, etc.). However, these perspectives have been developed in a fragmented way with discrete research methods and results that present limitations to practically applying these findings holistically across the inter-related fields of design, retail, and services.

Recent developments have integrated services into retail and vice versa. This shift, driven by consumer needs and retailer dedication, has led to new approaches combining service and retail design. Whether online or offline, for products, services, or experiences, these changes highlight the need for research support. This colloquium aims to unite various disciplines to share knowledge and reach a consensus on terms and meanings related to retail and service design. Emphasizing sustainability, it seeks to ensure that advancements in these fields are environmentally, socially, and culturally responsible. By integrating sustainable practices, the goal is to make retail and service design more holistic, encompassing, and relevant to contemporary global challenges.

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