Headline

Design Director - Retail Experience @INNOCEAN (Hyundai) | NID- Alumni | Ex-Cheil(Samsung) | Titan | CCD | 10+ years Experience | Retail Space design | VM | POSM Design | Brand Experience Strategy

About

Retail Experience Strategy Leader with a Master’s in Retail Design from the National Institute of Design (NID) and 12+ years of experience shaping customer-centric retail ecosystems across Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Lifestyle, QSR, and FMCG sectors. Expertise in Retail Experience Strategy, Customer Experience (CX), Retail Transformation, Store Concept Development, Customer Journey Mapping, Visual Merchandising, Retail GTM Strategy, and Omnichannel Retail Design. Proven track record of translating business objectives and brand vision into scalable retail concepts, operational playbooks, and standardized execution frameworks that drive customer engagement, brand consistency, and retail performance. Experienced in leading cross-functional teams, driving new business initiatives, developing strategic retail pitches, and delivering large-scale retail programs from concept to execution. Adept at leveraging AI-powered design and visualization tools to accelerate retail strategy, customer journey modeling, rapid concept development, and experience innovation. Partnered with leading brands including Hyundai Motor Company, Genesis, Hyundai MOBIS, Samsung, Titan Company, Café Coffee Day, TVS Motor, Kajaria, USHA, and Luminous to create impactful retail experiences that seamlessly connect brand strategy, customer needs, and commercial objectives.

Location

Bengaluru

AI stack

claude

dalle

gemini

openai

Adobe Firefly

ChatGPT Images

Work experience

Design Director- Retail Experience at INNOCEAN India, Jul 2025 - Present · 1 yr 4 mos, Gurugram, As a Design director I Lead retail design, customer experience, and visual merchandising strategy across Hyundai’s retail ecosystem while partnering with the Growth team to develop innovative retail concepts and experiential solutions for new business clients. Drive the translation of global brand strategies into scalable, market-relevant retail experiences, leading multidisciplinary design teams from concept to execution. Key Responsibilities * Lead retail design, dealership experience, and visual merchandising strategy for Hyundai and Genesis India. * Partner with the Growth team to develop retail concepts, GTM strategies, and branded environments for new business Clients and opportunities. * Create customer-centric retail experiences, design guidelines, and scalable rollout frameworks. * Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver immersive retail and experiential projects across multiple industries. • Leading the design and implementation of retail environments and dealership experience strategies aligned with global brand identity • Creative Direction & Retail Design — Translate brand vision into scalable retail concepts, store designs, and execution-ready guidelines. • Campaign Integration — Transform marketing campaigns into engaging in-store experiences that drive customer engagement and business impact. Leverage AI-powered tools to develop presentation frameworks, rapid concept explorations, and visual storytelling, enabling faster ideation and more effective strategy communication. KEY PROJECTS WORKED ON: 1: Genesis Retail Experience Strategy and Customer Journey Design 2: Hyundai: Pune plant experience Lobby Design 3: Hyundai: New dealership experience Design 4: KIA: Dealership Experience Enhancements 5: New Vehicle Display Strategies at Showroom 6: Kajaria Retail Design Approach 7: Sony Retail Store design 8: Genesis PR Zone Design

Associate Creative Director- Retail Design at Cheil India, Jan 2023 - Jul 2025 · 2 yrs 7 mos, Gurugram, Led retail marketing strategy, visual merchandising, and in-store brand visibility for Samsung retail stores across India. Key Contributions • Managed large-scale POS deployments and in-store brand visibility programs across national retail chains and regional dealer networks. • Developed retail GTM strategies and visibility frameworks to support product launches and marketing campaigns. • Designed immersive in-store experiences to educate customers on advanced smartphone features including AI capabilities, camera systems, and smart ecosystem integration. • Conducted primary market research and shopper behavior studies to optimize retail layouts and product visibility strategies. • Partnered with distributors and business management teams to ensure seamless execution of retail marketing initiatives across multiple retail tiers. • Led teams responsible for design, production, and execution of POSM and digital retail experiences across pan-India retail formats. Delivered special retail marketing and design projects including: • Retail showroom design for ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AMNS), translating an industrial brand into a customer-facing retail experience. • Retail marketing and in-store design solutions for Century Laminates, enhancing product visibility and showroom engagement. • Visual merchandising and window display design for Usha International, driving seasonal storytelling and brand recall. • Contribution to TVS :X vehicle launch campaign, developing retail visibility and in-store communication strategies

Discipline Coordinator + Asst. Professor - Retail and interior design department at Jain (Deemed-to-be University), Nov 2020 - Dec 2022 · 2 yrs 2 mos, Bangalore Urban, Karnataka, India, Worked as Discipline coordinator and Assistant professor. The core areas of teaching are space planning, furniture design, experience design, Color material finish design, ergonomics, VM and lighting, Design process , Form and Color etc. Apart from this iam involved in many administrative activities like course planning and Course presentation making.

Design Manager ( Retail space Design ) at Cafe Coffee Day, Nov 2018 - Nov 2020 · 2 yrs 1 mo, Bangalore, Responsible for Creating new Retail formats for Cafe coffee day ( Pan India ) ,New kiosk, Cafe Furniture design and development & Managing the key Projects from Design to development stage + Team Management Responsibility includes Day today Interaction with Department Heads and Managing a Small team of Design Engineers. KEY PROJECTS 1- The Serai- Cottage Interior Design and Its Furniture design (1200 Sqft ) 2- Cafe coffee day- X-press kiosk design concepts (100 Sqft ) 3-Indoor Lounge Furniture Concept Design for Interiors of Lounge.

Senior Retail experience designer at BrandVak Inc., Oct 2013 - Sep 2018 · 5 yrs, Bengaluru Area, India, Headed Retail Design Division and Responsible for Creating Effective retail Design solutions for Brands. Worked on Varied Brands and Created Different Retail solutions like Retail space design, Store Design, Display design, Retail Furniture design, kiosk design, Shopper marketing strategies,Brand/product visibility solutions, Conceptual Packaging Design's. Etc Responsibility included :- -Day to day interaction with Clients and Brands -Taking Inputs from Department Heads and leading a small design team. -Co-ordination with related teams eg. Graphics and Artworking teams. - Taking Concept to Reality and co-ordinating with Vendors during Execution. KEY PROJECTS:- 1- Brea Bake House- Live Bakery/Kiosk Design @ Bangalore international Airport (600sft) 2- Kompanero -Leather Accessory Store- Store design Pan India. (Avg 500 sqft ) 3- Sunnys- Restaurant Design - Bangalore- (3000 sqft ) 4-Koski- Womens Athenic apparel Store design (Jayanagar Bangalore- 1600sqft ) 5-AVR Jwellery - Concept store design (2400 sqft ) 6-Zwoosh Play store design- @Bangalore International Airport (1200 sqft ) 7-The Egg factory- Restaurant design (2019- Bangalore ) 8- Four Seasons- Wine display design 9- Cornitos nachos- Retail Brand strategies 10- 3M- Scotch brite- Retail Brand strategies 11- Shopper marketing and Product launch strategies Retail interior design | Design strategy | Furniture design | Insight & Analysis | Planogram | Merchandising planning | Brand guidelines | New product launch strategy | Interior architectural drawings | Ad hoc designs | Product and User research | Marketing |

Education

M-Des, Design for retail experience, National Institute of Design

B.des, Interior design, National school of interior design

Public links

behance.net: https://www.behance.net/koranne