The layout of retail stores is a crucial determinant that influences the overall consumer experience, affects shopping behaviour, the time spent in stores, product discovery, and impulse purchases. This paper examines how the design thinking approach to problem-solving, which is rooted in humanness and iteration, can be utilised to create optimal retail designs with consumer based solutions. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative interviews with literature analysis and the interpretation of visual data. Important lessons were learned regarding cultural sensitivity, instinctive orientation, movable store zones, and efficient indication. Axial coding of the response to the interview revealed consistent consumer irritations associated with the confusing layout arrangement and a desire for culturally inclusive spaces. Quantitative data, with statistically significant results from the ANOVA analysis (p < 0.05), show that racetrack and freeform layouts perform better than traditional grid designs in terms of time spent in-store (p = 0.017), impulse purchasing (p = 0.008), and the discovery of new products (p = 0.012). Visionary information also reaffirmed that the racetrack layouts resulted in maximum product discovery (81%), confirmed long dwell times (42 minutes), and impulse purchases (maximum). These findings were replicated by survey results, according to which 48% of respondents prefer a racetrack design due to its navigational clarity and exposure to various product categories. All in all, the study justifies the effectiveness of design thinking in developing retail settings that are captivating, culturally accommodating, and compliant with consumer behaviour. The results can be more widely applied in other industries such as healthcare, education, and hospitality because user experience is a top priority.
Munshi et al. (Tue,) studied this question.