Future trends in the retail and shop furnishing industry

Let's retrace the trends in the retail industry together for 2021-2022, analysing market trends and its great changes caused by the global pandemic.

An overview of the retail industry

• the purchasing process has been increasingly evolving from an omnichannel perspective
• the customer experience always reaches new forms of integration
• significant room for hyper-personalisation
• technology and artificial intelligence will be central in the purchasing process

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New design trends for shop furnishings

• shop furnishing has increasingly becoming eco-friendly
• retail is not only eco-friendly in the materials, but also in the floral arrangement
• new colour palettes for 2022 shop furnishings
• new innovative materials for a trend-setting shop

It has become clear that the global pandemic has revolutionized the customs and habits of each one of us, but especially the purchasing process and the in-store experience. The retail industry has adapted to this wave of renewal, welcoming and proposing new trends that will also accompany us in the forthcoming future. As largely highlighted by the PMI project, the post-Covid recovery - 8 industry focus to get Italy back on track created by Il Sole 24 Ore, the changes triggered by the health and economic crisis can serve as a new boost for innovation and opportunity.

What are the main changes highlighted and the hypothesized impulses for the recovery?

1. the purchasing process develops from an omnichannel perspective: even the most tech-reluctant customers have approached online purchases, requiring fast, reliable deliveries. The result is a continuous mix between a physical store where you can touch the product and a digital store where you can mainly find 24h service and speed in order fulfilment. Social media has indeed become fundamental for a sales strategy and offers users evocative images and promotions.
   
   
2. It has becoming increasingly necessary to emphasize the customer experience in the physical store: the customer must be able to experience quality emotional experiences within the stores. A well-designer shop furniture and a well-defined and non-accidental path to purchase are necessary to gain the customer's attention. Experiential retail represents the future of the industry. The physical store with all its furniture concept should allow a unique, customised experience and should ensure fun, loyalty and service as if it were a continuous discovery!
   
   
3. Consumer demands are changing towards constant hyper-personalization. The idea is that the store should give the customer something more, a highly customised experience, a unique and unrepeatable moment. The trend is to look for customised purchases in the stores, organised around the consumers’ own needs and personality. Lego Store is a concrete example of customised experience, as they give all their customers the opportunity to customise their construction with the bricks they have in the store.
   
   
4. Key word: technology! Artificial Intelligence becomes a concrete help to overcome fears related to purchases during the pandemic. Using thermal scanner devices in stores, booking from home to regulate access to stores and electronic payments are just a few examples that the retail industry can offer to customers to start again.

The next retail trends

Besides this general overview of the retail industry, we also would like to consider the stylistic aspect to create that experiential shop that consumers need today, taking into consideration what the 2021 shop furnishing trends are..

1. Shop furnishing has increasingly become eco-friendly: Microsoft too has identified sustainability as a key trend for 2021. Ecology and respect for the environment are no longer an opinion, today they are fundamental concepts that must be the basis of shop furnishing projects. The increasing use of FSC® - Forest Stewardship Council® certified wood within different projects indeed strengthens this aspect. For example, Hi Retail has created Essence Capsule Collection, a shop furnishing line with a rack system that uses wood from responsible forest management in the uprights.
   
   
2. Green retailing: plants and green furnishings are a further trend in choosing experiential shop furnishings to give that sense of communion with nature that was missed during the pandemic. Green light to plants and flowers for an "Amazonian" effect of strong impact.
   
   
3. Among the post-pandemic trends, we could not overlook a focus on the colour palette for 2021 retail. The shades of colour that communicate serenity, calm, safety, cleanliness, and hygiene with impromptu insertions of more vivid colours are those that stand out. Pantone has offered a combination of colours as colours of the year 2021 (PANTONE 17-5104 Ultimate Gray + PANTONE 13-0647 Illuminating) to give strength and hope. A bright and cheerful yellow, that reminds of the sun and the desire for light, joy and serenity, is combined with the reassuring grey that evokes strength, firmness and resilience.
   
   

   homeanddecor.com via Pinterest

4. What are the forthcoming materials industry trends for shop furnishing? Materials industry trends are well-defined; metals such as copper, bronze and brass variants will be the most popular as they are easy to clean. However, there will also be significant room for marble-effect materials with great focus on the origin of the material, which must be eco-friendly and easy to clean.

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