The birth of consumerism and the transformation of retail venues

This essay is focused on the relationship between consumption models and the transformation of retail venues, during the Sixties in Italy. In the past, historiography – especially Marxist-inspired literature – has largely ignored the role of mediation between supply and demand; today, however, it is difficult to view the physical spaces built for business and commerce – small stores and supermarkets, department stores or shopping malls – as merely neutral containers, playing but a passive role in consumerism. On the contrary, when retail venues act as frames around products, showcasing them, they undoubtably play a direct role in influencing people to make purchases, transforming the very psychology of consumption. To apply this understanding to the 1960s means, in practice, asking how the transformation of the consumer model tied to the advent of large-scale retail distribution, and how the latter contributed to influencing the mindset and preferences of consumers.