What makes a store truly memorable - and why do some spaces feel alive while others feel transactional?

In this episode of Retail Relates, we have a conversation with Elisa Servais, a retail design expert, researcher, and consultant whose journey has taken her from Shanghai, London, and Brussels. Elisa’s work bridges academia and practice, exploring what makes in-store experiences valuable and how design can foster empathy, connection, and inclusion.

She shares how cultural awareness shapes global retail, why copying trends comes at the cost of essence, and how AI can enhance - not replace - human creativity. From luxury houses like Hermès to Belgian icons like Maison Dandoy, Elisa explains how the best retail environments blend local authenticity with global coherence.

It’s a conversation about creativity, purpose, and the human side of commerce - where design becomes a language of empathy.

About Elisa Servais:

Elisa Servais is a retail design expert, educator, and researcher whose work bridges practice and academia across three continents. Trained as an interior architect, Elisa began her career at Levi Strauss & Co., where she discovered her passion for retail design and the ways space can influence human behavior. Over more than a decade, she has worked in Shanghai, London, and Brussels, contributing to projects that range from global rollouts and flagship stores to mixed-use developments and city revitalization initiatives. Her design experience spans industries including fashion, food, and beauty—each reinforcing her belief that meaningful design begins with empathy and a deep understanding of people.

Elisa earned her PhD in Retail Design from Hasselt University, one of the few programs worldwide dedicated to this discipline. Her doctoral research, The Value of Experiential Retail Environments, explored how in-store experiences create value for both customers and brands—and how designers can better craft them. Today, through her Brussels-based consultancy, Elisa combines her academic rigor with real-world insight, helping companies and educators adopt a more strategic, inclusive, and human-centered approach to retail design. Recognized for her cross-cultural expertise and thoughtful perspective, she continues to advocate for a retail future where design, strategy, and emotion work hand in hand to connect people and place.