Masterclass – AI in Visual Merchandising and Retail
30 March 2026, Monday
30 March 2026, Monday
11:10 AM
12:10 PM
Department of Design, IILM University, Gurugram
IILM University, Gurugram
The Masterclass on “AI in Visual Merchandising and Retail” explored how Artificial Intelligence is transforming Visual Merchandising (VM) and retail design — covering AI-driven consumer behaviour analysis, smart store planning, automated display systems, and personalised retail experiences — providing students with a forward-looking understanding of the technologies reshaping the retail design sector. The discussion covered AI applications in consumer analytics, virtual try-on technologies, smart retail environments, AI-generated display design, and the evolving role of the VM designer in an increasingly automated retail landscape — equipping students with knowledge of the full spectrum of AI’s current deployment in their specialist field. The session was highly interactive, with students asked to respond to images on screen and share their perceptions, creating an immediate experiential connection between AI-generated retail content and student aesthetic and emotional response — developing critical visual judgement as a professional skill. The VM designer’s role is evolving in an AI-augmented landscape: rather than being displaced by automation, designers must develop competency in directing, evaluating, and creatively deploying AI tools to craft differentiated, human-centred retail experiences. Students gained understanding of how AI tools are being integrated into visual merchandising strategies and retail design processes, with the session providing insight into emerging industry trends that Semester 4 and 6 students — approaching professional practice — will encounter directly in their careers.
Students gained understanding of how AI tools are being integrated into visual merchandising strategies and retail design processes, developing awareness of the technologies reshaping the retail design sector that they will encounter directly in professional practice. Students keenly interacted with the session verbally, engaging with image-response exercises that deepened their critical visual awareness of how AI-generated retail content communicates brand identity and consumer experience. The session was exceptionally well-received, with students reporting to their professors that they gained a month’s worth of learning in one hour — reflecting the high information density and practical relevance of the content to their field of study. Students developed understanding of the evolving role of the VM designer in an AI-augmented landscape, equipping them with a framework for positioning their own skills and creative judgement as indispensable alongside automated tools. Students left with knowledge of the full spectrum of AI’s current deployment in retail design — from consumer analytics and virtual try-on to smart environments and AI-generated display design — directly applicable to their studio projects and future professional roles.