EXPLORATION : THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

In the last post, we looked at the in-person and online consumer purchasing processes.  This week, we will take a look at two ways technology can be incorporated into the in-person experience. The virtual Reality process highlights the idea that a consumer can scan their body measurements into a database accessed by retailers who will create custom clothes for the consumer.  Measurement through an app will allow the consumer to virtually try on clothing without the fear of a returned purchase and saving time. The hybrid concept puts the consumer in a mall.  Each retailer offers one sample per size of each garment.  The consumer tries the clothes on in the store, then orders and pays for the garment through an app, and exits the store.  Once the shopping experience is complete, the consumer will go to a designated area, similar to grocery pick-up, and claim all of their purchases from the day.  This allows the consumer the ability to go about the mall withou...

     Consumer experience is the driving force of retail.  In-person shopping has been the dominant preference for decades, mainly because there was no other option.  Now, in the age of technology, online retail has skyrocketed and is now, in some instances, the only form of purchase.  This paper argues a third option on the horizon in the form of virtual reality.  While in-person and the standard online platforms will remain intact, virtual reality shopping will provide the consumer an opportunity for authenticity in a world of standardization. Using the Northwest Arkansas mall as a precedent, I will showcase the opportunity for an existing retail center to evolve its footprint to offer all three shopping strategies.      

 

The Battle for Retail:  Consumer vs. Robot Shopping Click "place your order."  Swipe your credit card, "sign here."  Both activities provide the same result.  Endless options and the idea of convenience, with regards to saving time, drive consumers to make certain decisions. Large retailers such as Wal-Mart and Amazon built their business model around these two shopping pillars.  Wal-Mart has three types of access.  In-person shopping was the original retail experience when Sam Walton opened its first retail box store in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962.  Nearly forty years later, in 2002, walmart.com launched.  In 2013, grocery pick-up piloted in Denver, Colorado.  Each process addressed the consumer's increased need for convenience through the use of technology.  In the most general terms, artificial intelligence is the machine's capacity to complete a human intellectual task.  With the ongoing innovation strides of technology, tradition...

Storytelling is an essential aspect of the written form, just as its counterpart, vocal delivery.  As this paper's title is in the final revisions, a look at the story is ever relevant.  Previous thought has been to look at the human mind how it makes choices and then introduces the reader to the paper's subject: the retail center's decline and potential future.  Subsequently, there is more information on 'choice' than initially planned.  By doing so, however, the subject is mentioned late in the writings.  Therefore, the topic order will adjust so 'retail centers' are at the forefront of the paper. Another area to address is the specificity of a location to assist with the focus of the subject.  Highlighting the NWA Mall as a precedent (not a case study) will guide existing locations' research. Below is the revised outline. An alternative outline focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence into the retail experience.  This approach places th...

Power of Choice: Spatial Convenience in Adaptive Use Development of Retail Centers in Urban Environment A Summary of the Literature The success of online platforms has dramatically impacted the retail experience.  In recent years, in-person retail locations have been forced to rethink their business model to compete with giants like Amazon. Many have not been successful, leaving retail real estate empty. This literature review will examine human behavior's impact on the built environment by exploring the psychology of choice, customer decision-making, convenience appeal, and retail centers' future. Evaluation of such a topic will be helpful concerning post-graduate interests in real estate and development within the hospitality and retail market sector. Psychology of Human Behavior The exploration of human behavior is a critical factor in the success of the built environment. Understanding how individuals make decisions is foundational to the development of the customer...

Narrowing down a topic is key to quality research. A broad scope of information is cumbersome to navigate and easy for the reader to lose interest. It is also daunting for the author.   This research paper, generally speaking, is about human behavior and its impact on the built environment. The research equivalent is this question: “Power of Choice: Spatial convenience in adaptive re-use development of retail centers in urban environments.” To narrow this topic, I need to examine how I intend to address the research. An outline will be an innovative tool to track the data to streamline such a large volume of information and hopefully help narrow the topic. Below is a list of questions, ideations, and supporting papers and articles. Choice Architecture Examining how people, places, and things consciously and subconsciously help people make choices without forcing a particular outcome. Choice Architecture by Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein, John P. Balz :: SSRN Psycho...

Over the last week, I've been thinking about spatial convenience and its importance in property development. Is it more than just having various options nearby for the end-user? It is certainly more in-depth than that. What about the decision making process? What about the mental mapping of choice? Choice Architecture is a term coined by Richard Thaler, Cass Sunstein, and John Balz in 2008 while researching their paper: "Choice Architecture." The authors define choice architecture as the design of different ways to present consumers' choices and its' impact on consumer decision-making (Thaler, Sunstein, Balz, 2008). It helps nudge decision-making without enforcement. But how? We are faced with choices multiple times a day, not to mention choices within choices. It is never-ending. How do we make decisions from the options in front of us? How do external factors integrate, in conscious or sub-conscious, affect our decision-making abilities? I'm inter...

  A method of inquiry is foundational to any research paper. This course focuses on four possible modes to consider: Traditional Written Scholarship  Generate, revise, and answer meaningful questions, build on previous literature, and be accessible to analysis. This method includes: Literature review Hypothesis development Research Data Collection & Analysis Relevance to the Discussion Design Process Investigation Research an issue and question through the design process, using the design as a tactic for inquiry. This method includes: Build on literature reviews and/or design precedent  Accessible to examination through design inquiry Creative, artistic inquiry and questions A report on the inspiration, process, and outcomes of a creative project constructed by the student. This method includes: Procedures and tactics used to carry out the project Description of the fabrication or materials used for project production Disciplinary oriented project Analysis of pro...