Designing a retail store environment for the mature market: A European perspective

Abstract

This article discusses elderly consumers’ physical and social needs and wants in the marketplace, and presents case studies of two European food retail stores that were designed to meet these concerns. The authors review information on the elderly consumers’ segment and discuss literature on retail design and retail branding and question how designers should be more aware of multiple modes of interpreting brands, given generational differences and the existence of various types of retail settings. Given that the physical and social aspects are considered key to improving the shopping experiences of elderly consumers, the authors also review literature that focuses on the importance of creating efficient, user-friendly and aesthetically-pleasing shopping environments, which pay particular attention to intangible social aspects. Older consumers’ consumption satisfaction does not come merely from consuming for gathering tangible possessions, but from consuming while seeking intangible experiences, such as feeling welcome in a retail store (Sherman et al., 2001; Kim et al., 2005). The authors contend that retail stores, properly designed to meet the needs and wants of the mature market, can strongly enhance this consumer segment’s shopping experiences. The article concludes with the presentation of two case studies of ‘senior supermarkets’ in Europe. By investigating how these stores pay attention to physical and social aspects which older consumers value as important, the authors analyze to what extent both stores are truly retail environments, adapted to the needs and wants of the mature market.