Guest editorial: Navigating design, branding and marketing in the era of technology and sustainability

The retail landscape has undergone a profound transformation in the past 10 years. The convergence of digital technology and sustainability has become a defining force in the evolution of retail strategy. Indeed, retailers have faced mounting pressure to innovate responsibly, communicate transparently and engage consumers across increasingly complex channels. This special issue in Management Decision responds to these challenges by presenting a collection of scholarly contributions that examine the intersection of design, branding and marketing in the context of technological advancement and sustainability imperatives. The accepted papers reflect a broad spectrum of methodological approaches and theoretical perspectives, yet they converge around several key themes that are central to contemporary management decision-making in retail, including sustainability as a strategic imperative, technology as both an enabler and a challenge and design and branding in a globalised, ethical marketplace.

This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work, subject to full attribution.