A collection of thought pieces, observations and opinions on the evolving retail landscape

In conversation with SnowShoe’s CEO Ned Hayes, Quinine’s founder Ian Johnston talks design. How a journey that started in Vancouver brought him to London and a path that led him...

This is where we share some of the conversations we are having at Quinine and invite the wider retail community to join the discussion.

Looking beyond the physical store build, Paul Zahra, CEO of the Australian Retail Association, interviews Quinine’s Founder Ian Johnston for their Retail Therapy Podcast on Sustainable Retail.

We’re all smart shoppers, seeking value beyond price, quality and convenience with every brand engagement, but how can retailers create that added value in the store experience?

Retail is an industry driven by metrics. Decisions are rarely made without the analysis of data, in the hope of minimising risk. It is used to evaluate a store’s performance...

Retail is an industry driven by metrics. Decisions are rarely made without the analysis of data, in the hope of minimising risk. It is used to evaluate a store’s performance...

As an extension of mental health, wellbeing is one of the most significant social issues that remains largely untouched by global retail brands. There is no doubt it is an...

From the perspective of store design, how can the physical environment discriminate in retail? Discrimination is traditionally defined as unjust or prejudicial treatment of people based on a number of...

Many retail businesses have rightly begun to prioritise critical social issues such as environmental sustainability and inclusion and diversity. As a design consultancy focused on physical spaces, we have worked...

In this report, we outline a series of interventions that demonstrate how retailers are integrating themselves more deeply into the fabric of the community and are making the physical store...

Value engineering physical retail formats should focus on keeping value as well as engineering reduced costs.

Solutions, Services, and Social Action. Can Store Design Make a Difference? Carol Spieckerman talks to our Founder and Creative Director, Ian Johnston.

This report provides an insight into the what we feel is important for retailers in 2021. Across the board, this has been a momentous year for us all. Retail has...

With the fluid and dynamic situation forced upon us by the COVID-19 pandemic, we see the world around us constantly changing. It’s really important to continually observe how these changes...

Whilst there is no doubt that materials play an important part in the sustainable development conversation, it is when retailers consider sustainability more broadly that they can have the most...

Being sustainable is no longer a ‘nice to have’, it must now be the foundation that every physical retail brand builds upon.

Imagine shopping while every sense is amplified. The conversations between customers are so loud it's like they are yelling. The ceiling lights are near blinding, and flashing lights from media...

Good is the new cool. Priorities of the modern consumer have shifted to make kindness and empathy key to sustained market growth and consumer trust and loyalty.

What will the future hold for retail beyond the new normal? Rarely in retail do we have time to stop and think. Retail is fast-paced and reactionary by nature, and...

We are all more aware than ever of our fragility and the importance of our health. We've increasingly come to understand what is healthy and are using the downtime to...

We've all learned a lesson in cleanliness and hygiene, to a degree. This experience has helped people understand how easily germs can spread and what exists on surfaces beyond our...

Many of our new online purchasing habits during lockdown will remain after this pandemic. Some people have come to realise how convenient it is to have groceries delivered every week.

As we spend more time at home, our expectations of convenience and especially delivery have changed. It's actually ok to wait for things. As our values shift, we are re-framing...

During this pandemic, consumers are holding themselves to a higher ethical standard. More people are trading their desire for convenience, for a greater social cause. Sustainable products are increasing in...

For those under strict lockdown, travel habits have been heavily restricted. Most of us have kept our travel close to home - a walk in the local park or a...

Our Founder, Ian Johnston has been invited to be part of the Store Experience Design Industry Panel for PSFK’s ‘Festival of Retail’.

The most apparent change to daily life is adapting to living within the confines of our own home. For many, this has brought a combination of frustration and security. There...

All consumers desire great value, but value is a perception. It’s a feeling measured subjectively. However, what is recognisable to all consumers is experiencing great value unexpectedly; when they feel...

All too often the dialogue surrounding Experiential Retail focuses almost exclusively on Customer Experiences. Of course, this carries huge importance in the long-term success of any retail format, but when...

Recently our Founder and Creative Director, Ian Johnston was joined by John Giacomazzi, VP of Retail Merchandising and Store Design at Xfinity (part of the Comcast Corporation) to deliver a...

The impact of diversity and inclusion on your physical store strategy

The Quinine team attended GlobalShop’s Retail Exhibition and Conference in Chicago to get involved in the key discussions and debates on the latest trends and technologies that are affecting the...

Here, we will examine ‘escapist’ customer missions, where people shop for the sake of it, or just to be immersed into the retail landscape for a few hours. We’ll unpick...

Here, we will investigate ‘entertainment’ customer missions. These are curated events or participation opportunities in store. Using examples, we will demonstrate how the Retail Experience Framework can help retailers to...

Why transforming an existing retail format might be a better idea than starting from scratch

In the next episode, we will tackle ‘educational’ customer missions. These are retail experiences that also offer self-improvement or learning opportunities. We look at how they work and their value...

A retail design theory that we often get asked about, especially here in the UK, is the ‘Right Turn Preference’. Also known as the ‘Invariant Right’ this is a principle...

The Social Experience. In our fourth episode, we will consider ‘social’ customer missions. These are about making face-to-face connections and using shopping to feel part of the community. We’ll look...

The Functional Experience. In the third episode, we take a deeper dive into ‘functional’ customer missions. This is where it all started… with people going to a shop to achieve...

Place and Customer Journey. Here, we will explore how getting the basics right first is key to any in-store experience and customer journey. This relates to how the store works...

People, Place and Time. In the first of our episodes, Ian and Alex dissect the industry catchphrase of the moment, ‘experiential retail’. What is it, and why is everyone talking...

Design Principle - Contour Bias, many features of the everyday objects and environments we encounter lead to us making quick judgements about them, sometimes without even realising that we have.

Most people will tell you that this type of engagement is a waste of time and money, for both client and agency. So why do companies continue to use such...

The Golden Ratio references a proportion that we as human beings have a strong preference for.

The customer is king, and they sit centrally of our thinking, but you need to look through various lenses to create a successful retail strategy.

The best retail designers are not only great ideas people, they’re also highly skilled at explaining and selling in their concepts.

A well-designed store, one that takes into account the staff perspective, can raise staff morale, increase productivity and loyalty, and ultimately create a better customer experience.

When it comes to retail, our mindset has totally changed in the past decade or so. Anywhere in the world you care to mention, people have embraced a new digital...

A site specific theatre experience is immersive, engaging, and gets you physically involved. It was a very powerful experience — one that should be used far more in retail environments.

Having a brilliant idea is only part of the designer’s challenge. A vital and often overlooked aspect of the job is how we communicate that vision to clients, collaborators and...

Design Principle - Successful retail design is about far more than mere look and feel. Environments should have a positive impact on the customers and staff who use the space.

Design Principle - Priming is an effect based on the activation of ideas, principles and concepts in ones memory.