The world is experiencing a wellness revolution. More people than ever are prioritizing health and wellness, with a 2020 study by McKinsey showing that the wellness market continues to boom, even amidst global challenges. This growing awareness extends beyond personal habits and into the homes we inhabit, the offices we work in, and the retail spaces where we shop. It profoundly affects all environments, including retail store design.
Today’s consumers are not just buying products; they are buying experiences and values. They prefer to shop with retailers who align with their values regarding wellness. This is not a passing trend but a profound shift in consumer behavior. The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) notes that an estimated 68 million adult Americans base their purchases on personal, social, and environmental values and say they will spend up to 20% more on environmentally sound products.
For high-end retailers, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is to create retail environments that reflect these values. The opportunity is that doing so can significantly impact sales and customer loyalty.
The Importance of Wellness in Retail Design
In retail, the emphasis on wellness-focused design is not merely a trend but a necessity that caters to the evolving needs of customers and employees. Incorporating wellness into retail store design fosters an environment that is aesthetically pleasing and promotes health and well-being. It’s about creating a space that showcases the retailer’s brand, resonates with the customer’s values, and enhances their shopping experience, making it more enjoyable and fulfilling.
Similarly, according to the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), a wellness-focused environment can improve employee performance and productivity. A well-designed space that prioritizes wellness can inspire employees, boost their morale, and foster a sense of well-being, leading to enhanced efficiency and productivity.
Key Elements of Wellness in Retail Design
Incorporating wellness into retail store design is a commitment to creating spaces that look good and are good for you. It’s about understanding that every element, every decision, profoundly impacts the overall experience of the consumer and the employees. A healthy retail environment can be created by addressing several key issues.
1. NATURAL LIGHT: Natural daylighting is one of the best sources of lighting available. Brought in by skylights or windows, it provides a low-energy cost-efficient source of ambient lighting to illuminate any store. It also provides the best color rendition of any light source, accurately rendering the colors and textures of the merchandise.
However, the benefits of natural lighting go beyond illumination to creating a connection to the outside world and infusing the retail environment with a sense of openness and warmth. Natural lighting also has a measurable impact on sales.
A study by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) found that retail sales were up to 40% higher in stores with skylights compared to similar stores without skylights. This study suggests that natural light significantly enhances the retail environment and can boost sales.
2. HIGH-QUALITY ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING: The lighting needs of most retail environments go well beyond what daylighting alone can provide. However, the advances in high-quality LED lighting make it possible to provide many of the benefits of natural daylighting while providing the more complex lighting required to illuminate merchandise effectively.
The beauty of LED lighting is that it is programmable. It can provide a wide range of color temperatures ranging from neutral white (3,100 to 4,500 Kelvin) to natural daylight (4,600 to 6,000 Kelvin) and color rendition that comes close to daylight. (For more on retail lighting, see my blog.)
But retail lighting is not just about lighting the merchandise and creating the right mood for each retail environment. As a part of any retail design, it is also about enhancing the overall shopping experience and creating an environment that feels good and makes you feel good. Full spectrum LED lighting can provide many of the health benefits of natural lighting, lifting mood and improving productivity and alertness while creating an environment that leads to increased sales.
3. GOOD INDOOR AIR QUALITY: The quality of the air we breathe matters. It’s not something we often think about, but indoor air quality can significantly impact our health and well-being. And it’s not just about avoiding pollutants; it’s about creating an environment that feels fresh and invigorating.
According to the EPA, indoor air quality can be two to five times worse than outdoor air quality. Creating an environment with good air quality goes hand in hand with creating a beautifully designed retail space where customers feel comfortable and want to return.
Creating an environment with good indoor air quality happens with the design of your heating, ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) system. Now more than ever, especially after COVID, we realize the importance of clean air and having a high-quality HVAC system. One that provides high levels of air filtration to remove harmful air pollutants, bacteria, and viruses and that brings in an abundance of fresh air and exhausts stale, polluted air.
4. THERMAL COMFORT: Creating a comfortable environment is crucial in retail design, and temperature and humidity play a significant role in achieving that. It’s more than just regulating the temperature during different seasons.
Utilizing advanced temperature controls to allow areas of the store to be zoned independently and keeping humidity at a range of 30% to 60% ensures a consistent and inviting atmosphere for customers to explore and shop comfortably.
5. NOISE CONTROL: Sound plays a crucial role in shaping our daily experiences. In a retail environment, poor acoustics can be distracting and irritating. Good noise control, on the other hand, creates a more comfortable and enjoyable shopping environment. It’s about creating a soundscape that enhances the shopping experience rather than detracting from it.
Strategies to create good noise control include using sound-absorbing material such as carpet and wallcoverings, providing acoustically designed ceilings, and adding background music or white noise to reduce the impact of distracting noises.
One can also design the retail space so that soundproofed walls separate noisier areas and equipment from the quieter retail spaces. Even the placement of display fixtures and furniture can break up sound waves and reduce noise levels creating a more comfortable environment.
6. USE NON-TOXIC MATERIALS: The use of non-toxic materials is a crucial aspect of wellness in retail design. Using non-toxic materials in retail design improves indoor air quality, enhances the staff’s health and safety, and reduces incidents of eye and respiratory irritation, headaches, and fatigue for staff and customers.
To create a healthier and more comfortable shopping environment, use low VOC paints and finishes which do not off-gas harmful chemicals and choose natural floorings such as stone, porcelain tile, or wood. You can also select fixtures, furniture, and fabrics made from natural, non-toxic materials.
In the world of high-end retail, every detail matters. It’s about creating spaces that are not just stores but destinations, experiences that captivate and delight. And by embracing wellness in our design, we’re not just enhancing the shopping experience; we’re creating spaces that resonate with our customers’ values, spaces that they’ll want to return to time and time again.
Creating a Memorable Shopping Experience
Retail design is about creating an environment that is an expression of the retail brand. What we mean by this is that every aspect of the store – from the layout, lighting, and color scheme to the materials used, the music played, and even the scent in the air – should communicate the brand’s personality and ethos.
Good retail store design translates a brand’s identity into a physical space, creating an immersive experience that resonates with customers and strengthens their connection with the brand.
Wellness can contribute to this by creating a more comfortable, memorable shopping experience. It’s about creating a store environment that captivates customers’ attention and encourages them to spend more time (and money) and to return.
Working with a Professional
The role of an architect or interior designer is pivotal in creating wellness-focused retail spaces. A professional with the knowledge, expertise, and understanding of wellness principles can help retailers create stores that are not only beautiful and reflective of their brand but also promote health and well-being. These stores enhance the overall shopping experience for customers and the working environment for employees.
As architects and interior designers, we approach the design process holistically, considering all aspects of the retail environment – from the layout and flow of the space to the materials used, the lighting, the acoustics, and even the air quality. We understand how these elements can impact the overall wellness of the space and can make informed decisions to enhance the health and well-being of those who use the space.
We can advise on using non-toxic materials to improve indoor air quality, designing the space to maximize natural light, which has been shown to have numerous health benefits, or controlling noise levels to create a more comfortable and enjoyable shopping environment.
Our expertise and understanding of wellness principles can help retailers create spaces that are not only beautiful and reflective of their brand but also promote health and well-being, enhancing the overall shopping experience for customers and the working environment for employees.
Your Next Steps to a Healthier Retail Environment
The benefits of wellness in retail store design for high-end retailers are clear. It aligns with the values of today’s consumers, creates a healthier environment for customers and employees, and can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty.
We encourage you to consider these principles in your store design and to reach out for more information or assistance.
If you are a retailer looking to incorporate wellness into your retail design, contact me for a consultation. I can guide you through the process, helping you create a retail environment that reflects your brand values, meets your customers’ needs, and contributes to a healthier world.