The economic value of Oxford Street is declining because of the online shopping trend, with one in five shops being empty and footfall remaining 52% lower than pre-pandemic levels. Shopping patterns have changed and will continue to change in the direction of digitalization, which is irreversible. However, physical retail isn’t dead, it’s just evolving. Instead of competing with the online shopping trend, offline retailers should adapt to it and collaborate with the new shopping habits.

According to Stephens (2020), the main function of offline retail is going to transform from sales to providing an exciting, and emotionally engaging experience by enhancing the interactivity between visitors and retail spaces. Interactive retail spaces provide unique sensory experiences, enhancing brand recognition and customer loyalty on Oxford Street. Emphasizing interactivity in future designs can sustain Oxford Street’s economic value post-pandemic.

This project is proposed as an architectural response to the new generation of interactive retail. An iconic collection of venues, in various sizes and shapes, targets middle-class shoppers - the primary consumers of fast fashion on Oxford Street. These venues incorporate diverse interactive and engaging elements, including branding campaigns, product demonstrations, relaxed environments, and virtual fittings, aiming to create an immersive and memorable shopping experience.

These four sets of venues are located inside and outside John Lewis, ensuring maximum exposure towards tourists and visitors. It will transform the traditional department store towards the new era of fast fashion and shopping, by enhancing the interactivity, providing a hands-free, no-need-to-try-on experience. The venue will be arranged in rhythm, which holds strong aesthetic appeal when people perceive a display. By introducing rhythm through transition, the eye is led through a continuous, uninterrupted flow from one area to another, providing not only a visually appealing experience but also an easy-to-navigate layout.

Starting at the pavement, the journey features four interactive venues surrounding a central courtyard. Visitors are invited to explore each venue, engage with diverse activities, and choose products as desired.

The rhythmic flow assists in distinguishing regions and navigation, creating a visually appealing, immersive, and memorable shopping experience.

Throughout the journey, visitors catch sight of a series of carefully selected viewpoints around the central courtyard. These vantage points highlight the most interactive areas, thereby encouraging further exploration of the space. Here, retailers and customers collaborate, transforming Oxford Street shopping from a one-time event into an ongoing lifestyle engagement. This strategic focus contributes to enriching the overall shopping experience and elevating the standard of the department store.

Ultimately, the future John Lewis will digitally connect the entirety of Oxford Street, offering shoppers the unique chance to mix and match brands without boundaries. No longer needing to traverse from one end of the street to the other, all items are now accessible within one building. This revolutionary digital shift aims to link all of Oxford Street with a single click, heralding the advent of a new era in shopping and retail.

The offline retail landscape is transitioning from being sales-centric to becoming a platform for interactive, engaging experiences. This project introduced a new generation of interactive retail at John Lewis, offering a variety of unique venues aimed at middle-class shoppers on Oxford Street. The future vision for John Lewis is to digitally integrate all of Oxford Street, enabling shoppers to mix and match brands without restrictions and access all items within a single building.

This digital transition signifies the dawn of a new era in shopping and retail, altering how people engage with physical retail spaces. The project serves as a prototype for future retail design and the transformation of offline retail, potentially applicable to the entirety of Oxford Street. This shift reframes shopping as a lifestyle, enhancing the overall experience and setting a new standard for department stores.