Netflix Steps Out of the Screen into Experiential Houses

In a rather exceptional move, Netflix, the prominent streaming company, reaches its customers-viewers beyond the screen and enters the physical space in newly created experiential hubs, titled each a Netflix House. When we say ‘physical’, it actually means that the House harbours a virtual world of fiction and fantasy by tangible means within the physical… Read More

Retailing From the Viewpoint of Young Bright Talents in Design

It is the 13th year in a row that VMSD magazine (Visual Merchandising & Store Design) publishes its annual list of winners of the Designer Dozen award (March 2025). The young designers chosen (age 35 and under) are considered the best and brightest designers in retail in their generation. The 12 designers specialise in interior… Read More

When Aesthetics Meets Neuroscience: Neuroaesthetics

Seeing or hearing a beautiful creation — of art, design, or nature — usually makes us feel good, bringing in us a feeling of pleasure, elevation, calm or thrill. Often enough, the aesthetics of a scenery, artefact or person is realised almost instantly (i.e., astounding beauty). Neuroaesthetics, a young field of the neurosciences, is devoted… Read More

Digital Price Display: Opportunity & Risk

The landscape in food stores is gradually changing with a transition of retailers from printed price labels to digital price tags, formally known as electronic shelf labels (ESLs). When looking from some distance, shoppers may not notice the difference in appearance of the label, but the digital price display can have implications that shoppers may… Read More

Ambivalent Times for Watches

The global market for watches is fluctuating amid shifts in macroeconomic conditions, technological developments, and thereof adaptive changes in consumer preferences. This situation seems to put under strain particularly the Swiss watch industry. The compromising situation for the Swiss watchmakers has been evolving for some time now, at least since 2015, affecting the revenues from… Read More

Jelmoli Prepares for a New but Different Chapter in Its Retailing Legacy

Jelmoli is a Swiss department store in Zürich well-known to residents and visitors of the city. Last year (2023) the retail brand celebrated “190 Years of Jelmoli” with the tagline “Full of Stories” (e.g., posted on the store’s front windows). However, this celebration also marks in all likelihood a conclusion of its function as a… Read More

Dual Meanings Embedded in Creative Logo Designs

Creative designs that can reveal something beyond what is initially perceived and reaslised intrigue viewers and attract them to the object of design (e.g., image of brand logo): implicit visual information, hidden meanings, a puzzle or metaphor. Inspiring designs can improve memorability of the brand and strengthen a positive brand attitude. However, the designed image… Read More

Globus: A Department Store Changes Its Face

A visitor returning to the flagship department store of the Swiss chain GLOBUS in central Zurich after a long absence is headed for a surprise. The visiting shopper is about to encounter on entry a completely different landscape — bright and flashy, with a large avenue stretching from the front entrance (on Bahnhofstrasse) to the… Read More

When Solving More Complex Problems

Once in a while consumers face more complex and difficult problems they need to solve in order to achieve some end goals. These problems are likely to be compounded by multiple decisions, and furthermore, some of the decisions could be inter-related or interdependent. In the process of problem solving, consumers may be required to perform… Read More