PhD student Is taking into account a retailer’s brand DNA in store design the key to success?

Background

ArcK is the research group of the Faculty of Architecture and Arts that focuses on research in architecture and interior architecture. We conduct fundamental and applied research on the built environment. In a multidisciplinary team we work on important societal challenges. In this position, you will join the Retail design team. 
For this PhD, there is a collaboration with the marketing research group of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at KU Leuven. More specifically, there will be collaboration with marketing retailing group that focuses on empirical modeling of purchase behavior or sales data within retail.

Meer informatie:
https://www.uhasselt.be/en/onderzoeksgroepen-en/arck/ and https://feb.kuleuven.be/research/marketing/marketing

Job content
This research project addresses a gap in the academic literature in which retail design and marketing have traditionally been approached as separate disciplines. While retail design focuses on creating visually appealing retail environments, marketing focuses on evaluating their effectiveness. Due to the lack of integration between these two fields, there is insufficient understanding of how to design physical stores that are both attractive and commercially successful. This PhD aims to combine insights from both disciplines to develop guidelines for designing stores that reflect a retailer's brand identity (brand DNA) while having positive effects on consumer behavior and store performance. The project has two main goals: to understand how stores can be designed from a retailer's brand identity (store designs are created by an expert), and to measure their impact on consumer response and performance. The research methodology includes qualitative studies with designers and consumers (e.g., interviews) and empirical studies to measure consumer reactions through surveys and store performance through sales data. In the latter, appropriate support is provided from both research groups.

Profile

• You have a master's degree in architecture or interior architecture. Candidates with a master's degree in (Applied) Economics, Commercial Sciences or Commercial Engineering are also welcome to apply. Please note that this is a PhD in architecture and therefore some willingness to brush up on design skills during the first year of the PhD track is required.

• You have a strong affinity for retailing.

• You have knowledge and strong interest in several of the following topics: retail design, quantitative marketing, consumer behavior.

• You have a strong interest in scientific research within retail design and retailing.

• You are able and willing to quickly gain knowledge of these aspects with which you are less familiar.

• You can work in interdisciplinary teams and have the social skills to collaborate with professionals and stakeholders throughout the research process.

• You have good social, relational, communication and reporting skills.

• You have good knowledge of English, both speaking and writing skills.

• You have good ICT skills (Word, Excel, Indesign, CAAD).

• You have problem-solving skills and can work in a structured and independent manner.

• You are open to limited teaching assignments (up to 10%) as part of your position.

Offer
You will be appointed and paid as PhD student.
We offer you a 2-year appointment, which will be extended by 2 years after a positive evaluation.

Selection procedure
You can only apply online up to and including 23 June 2025.
The selection procedure consists of a preselection based on application file, an interview and a test lesson / presentation.
Interviews will take place on 01.07.2025.

Further information
Prof. dr. Katelijn QUARTIER, +32-11-292182, [email protected]

For questions about the selection procedure, please email [email protected].