(Don’t) mind the gap between research and practice in retail design

Abstract

Due to the knowledge validated by scientific research and managerial practice not being fully aligned, there is an already long-existing gap between research and practice within the retail design discipline. They both tend to live in their own world and have their own world view, which makes the connection difficult. To this end, the challenge is taken up to make scholarly research in the discipline of retailing and retail design accessible as a ‘ready to use concept’ for practitioners, designers, marketers and retailers to improve customer store experience. A lack of the latter forms a fundamental problem in Belgium’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) who no longer are living up to today’s customer expectations.