Project R-8431

Material World (Research)

The rise of e-commerce, the economic crisis and the changing consumer buying behavior mean that a retailer today needs to ensure that the physical store remains relevant. It is a must for a retailer to clearly convey his story to the consumer and to emotionally connect with the customer. A thoughtful choice of material contributes to this. On the one hand, retailers today are becoming more and more aware of the need to distinct themselves from others and to brand themselves because consumers are more sensitive to this. On the other hand, sustainable entrepreneurship becomes more important and both Flanders and the EU are committed to sustainable materials management. However, it appears that the knowledge is too limited or even totally absent. Even designers are still making little use of sensory properties of materials to communicate a particular identity. They primarily rely on the technical and aesthetic properties of a material, and do not generally take into account their ecological aspects when designing a shop. As a general goal, we want to get more thought-out, experience-oriented and more ecological material choices for shop interiors by sensitizing, providing knowledge and supporting the various stakeholders.

01 October 2017 - 31 October 2019