The future of retail is shaped by the experience people have in a space. That was one of the thoughts Barbara Seidelmann and Andrea Feigl from 5 Star Plus Retail Design took away from the Retail Space Forum 2026, a retail design event held on 17 September at REAKTOR Vienna under the theme “Shops, Stores & Spaces.”
More than 200 people from retail, real estate, technology and other areas of the industry came together to talk about how physical retail is changing and what retail spaces might look and feel like in the future.
The conversations at this retail design event covered new store concepts, technology, the transformation of existing spaces and ultimately, a question that we found particularly interesting: how can a place created for selling become a place people actually want to spend time in?
The Store Is Changing Its Role
Today, products are available almost everywhere and at any time, so naturally, the role of the physical store is changing too.
A store can be much more than a point of sale. It can bring together brand, atmosphere, interaction and experience and create a connection with customers that is difficult to replicate online. That makes the space itself more important than ever.
How does a place make you feel?
What does it tell you about a brand?
And what do you remember when you walk out?
One of the talks that really got us thinking was the keynote by the founder of the Silent Knowledge Institute, who looked at how changing social attitudes and the spirit of the times are influencing the way people think, live and consume.
His perspective on what he calls a “Post Future Hangover” was particularly interesting. The idea is that the focus is shifting from having more to experiencing more, from ownership towards experiences.
This shift is also changing retail: “Offline is the new driver of brand relevance.”
For retailers, this means paying close attention to how society is changing and translating these shifts into experiences that feel relevant to people today and to the customers of tomorrow.
There is also an interesting perspective when looking at younger consumers. According to the Austrian Retail Association (Handelsverband), 76% of Generation Z visit a shopping street at least once a month, so physical retail is certainly not disappearing, but its role is changing.
Retail Design Connects Brand and People
This is where our work at 5 Star Plus Retail Design comes
in. For us, retail design starts long before choosing furniture, materials or
colours. It starts with the brand, its identity, its people and the story it wants to tell through space.
Our international experience has shown us again and again
that retail is never one-size-fits-all. Markets, cultures, habits and
expectations all influence how people experience and interact with a store. The challenge is to understand these differences while making the identity of a brand visible in a way that feels clear, authentic and natural.
For us, that is what good retail design is really about,
not simply creating beautiful spaces, but creating places that communicate, connect and leave something behind.
What Stays With Us?
The Retail Space Forum 2026 reminded us just how much is
happening in retail right now. Technology is changing the customer journey,
existing spaces are being rethought, new formats are emerging and the boundaries between retail, hospitality, experience and community are becoming
increasingly fluid.
At the same time, one thing remains at the heart of it all:people and how a place makes them feel.
A big thank you to Retail Space Forum 2026 (Handelsflächenforum 2026) for the inspiring impulses, the open conversations and the opportunity to connect with so many interesting people from the worlds of retail, real estate and technology.
We are taking many of these ideas and impulses back into our work and with them, one question that will continue to inspire us:
How do we create spaces that people do not simply visit, but remember?
