The Future of Retail Design: Sustainable Shopping Centres

In recent years, it’s become increasingly clear that retail and social spaces are going far beyond aesthetics. Whilst design and decor are vital for the identity of a space, we’re also living in a time where sustainability and environmental considerations need to be put into place. Brands and businesses are taking time to rethink and enhance the experience they provide to customers and clients, as well as the sustainability impact.

One specific location where retail and social areas meet is in shopping centres – a combination of bustling social, shopping and restaurant/bar spaces. With shopping centres taking up such vast footprints, many different considerations need to be taken when looking at and improving the sustainability of the centres. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the future of retail design and the importance of sustainable shopping centres.

Why Sustainable Retail Is Important

Having a sustainable retail space isn’t a requirement, however it is a huge appeal to the modern consumer. If retail spaces, such as shopping centres, want to reduce their negative impact on their environment whilst also making sure to attract new customers and consumers, then it’s important to take steps towards making the space more sustainable.

It’s not just the impact on customers and shoppers which need to be considered when looking at sustainability. In a recent study, it was found that 76% of employees believe that sustainability within the workplace is more important than ever before, which goes to show that the consideration of sustainability can be felt along every aspect of the chain, from supply and deliveries to staff and employment.

Reducing Energy Consumption

Within retail design, energy consumption and lighting are two big factors that need to be considered. Within this comes the counter argument of sustainability, as well as how this can be passed on to improve the experience for the consumer and customers. One popular trick that is used by shopping centres, much like the one used by casinos, is to keep the space as bright as possible.

This help to keep shoppers engaged and stimulated, which then means that they go on to lose track of time and this, in turn, leads to an increase in spending. As a result, many shopper centres, within their design process, choose to swap to LED lighting as it’s more energy efficient and, in a number of instances, the lighting setup can be changed to be in line with the centre’s branding colours.

In terms of user experience, a way in which shopping centres can improve their sustainability offering to customers and consumers is through offering electric car charging ports. Victoria Leeds, a shopping centre in Leeds, is an example of this as they offer this service for those using their car parks. This helps promote the use of electric or hybrid vehicles for customers who may not always get the convenience of charging their vehicles whilst visiting a leisure facility.

Offer Recycling Facilities

As well as selling new items to customers, more and more shopping centres are beginning to adopt the approach of helping customers to recycle whilst they shop. This could be designated spaces where they can take old batteries and lightbulbs, which they may struggle to dispose of at home, making it a much more convenient experience. Some high street stores also offer in-store clothes donation and recycling points with the bonus of having added incentives for customers to do so, such as money off vouchers or free items.

By adding recycling facilities into shopping centres, this makes it much less of a considered action for the customer or consumer, as they can essentially do two things at once. With the added icnentives for things such as recycling too, this gives them an active prompt to do so. Most shopping centres will also offer recycling bins throughout the centre to encourage the separating of recyclable materials, such as plastic and paper, to make this habit easier for customers to adopt whilst disposing of their rubbish.