Spatial Experience Strategist (Physical Retail)

Aquent Studios is thrilled to partner with a global leader in technology innovation, a company at the forefront of redefining industry standards and dedicated to creating exceptional user experiences. This is an extraordinary opportunity to help shape the future of physical retail experiences, forging magical connections between groundbreaking technology and its users. If you are ready to be at the heart of a transformative project, leading the strategic conceptualization and design execution for high-impact physical environments, this is your chance to launch unique new retail experiences from concept to opening, directly influencing how millions interact with innovative products as a Spatial Experience Strategist focused on Physical Retail.

We are seeking a visionary strategist to define the future of physical retail spaces. This pivotal role is not about drafting spatial layouts or CAD drawings; it's about generating BIG IDEAS, concepting and mapping them out, uncovering deep insights, and setting the strategic direction for engaging brick-and-mortar experiences like no other. You will analyze consumer behavior and track global retail trends-from cutting-edge storefront window displays to interactive store concepts-translating deep research into actionable strategic blueprints. Your work will directly guide creative design teams on what to build and why, ensuring every in-store interaction creates maximum engagement and and leaves a lasting impression.

What You'll Do

• Architect end-to-end customer journey maps and experience frameworks tailored for physical retail environments.
• Define spatial strategies that strategically influence visitor movement, optimizing traffic flow, discovery zones, and navigation throughout the store footprint.
• Establish the "why" behind spatial installations, conceptualizing features and store experiences, window displays, and interactive elements.
• Map out narrative-driven spatial strategies and present compelling vision decks that bridge business objectives with memorable customer moments.
• Act as the internal Subject Matter Expert (SME) on global retail innovation, emergent store design directions, and evolving shopper expectations.
• Continually monitor and report on "what's next" in retail, including window design trends, experiential visual merchandising, spatial technology, and community-centric retail models.
• Translate qualitative and quantitative insights into clear, inspiring briefs for Spatial Designers, Graphic Designers, and Prototypers.
• Partner closely with Spatial Designers, Graphic Designers, Prototypers, and creative production teams to ensure strategic intent is preserved throughout execution.

Required Qualifications

• 4-7+ years of experience in brand strategy, retail design strategy, experiential marketing, or agency-side design strategy.
• A strategy-focused mindset over an execution-focused one, with proven ability to synthesize complex ideas and write persuasive briefs.
• Deep passion for physical retail, with an active pulse on visual merchandising, window display trends, and omnichannel store technology.
• Outstanding skills in narrative building and deck creation using tools such as Keynote, Google Slides, Figma, or Miro, to pitch strategic concepts clearly to leadership or clients.

Preferred Qualifications

• Comfort either conducting or interpreting qualitative consumer research, industry reports, and observational insights to inform strategic recommendations.
• Experience utilizing, synthesizing, or conducting primary and secondary research (such as consumer behavior trends, store walkthroughs, competitive analysis, or foot-traffic data) to ground strategic decisions in solid evidence.
• Ability to establish success metrics (KPIs) for experiential initiatives and evaluate performance using post-occupancy studies.