Store renovations

We all know that store windows, when done well have the ability to really lift public mood. So given that insight it's nice to see some retailers going to town on their refurbishments. After all, why should a renovation leave the window looking shabby and dull.

I think all retailers should take a leaf out these guys' books:

Gucci in New York



Nespresso in Paris:



Christian Dior, New York:





And then of course no-one can forget Gap's famous demolition ad of 2005:

Sony's 360 degree display

WOW... imagine this on a really really large scale

Hermes

Hermes created an interactive window in Tokyo's Ginza. A video looped on an LCD screen of a woman blowing gently is synced with a puff of air onto a silk scarf giving the illusion she is blowing on it.

Quite effective and a simple installation.

New Body Paint Conducts Electricity, Powers LEDs

Thanks PSKF for this update on electro-paint.... think of the applications!

Talk about the body electric! Students at the Royal College of Art in England have created a new type of paint which can conduct electricity and be applied directly to the skin. The paint is carbon-based, water-soluble, and can create electronic circuits when activated. The ink itself is able to produce enough electricity to power small devices like LEDs, and it’s creators hope it will one day be used to help with the dance and music performances, computer interfaces, and medical devices.

The team says: “As our lives are increasingly regulated by electronics and there is a drive towards the miniaturisation and portability of electronics on and around the body it seems only logical to place electronic circuits on the surface of body.”

That's entertainment

http://www.harrodsthatsentertainment.com/

Retail theatre hits London's favourite department store Harrods this season with an amazing display of movie inspired windows. Running for 2 months the store is totally themed around entertainment both in the windows and throughout the store. Not only can customers can enjoy a red carpet makeover but they can put themselves in a professional photo shoot, visit a movie star costume exhibition or catch celebrity book signings. To involve and engage Harrods people, staff were treated to a 15 minute private performance by the cast of the musical Chicago prior to the opening of “That’s Entertainment”. Further more, there are live performances from the West End casts of Phantom and Mamma Mia! Whilst the world is panicking about interest rates, the markets and the cost of living it's good to know some retailers are taking our minds off it all.

Window displays - Passive content

A 3M film covering a glass window with rear projection creates this eye grabbing window display.
It's able to be updated with new content on a regular basis and themed for store events/seasons.

Magic mirrors

Interactive mirror subtracting the real background and replacing it with a virtual one

In the frame of a marketing campaign for a travel agency, UbachsWisbrun/JWT, a large communication group in the Netherlands, has asked Bartpproject to develop an interactive mirror.
The installation allows each person passing by the shop window to have a taste of holiday atmosphere, thanks to an interactive experience.

A big LCD screen covered by a way mirror is placed in the shop window: when nobody is in front of it, the screen looks like a normal mirror.
As soon as a person stops in front of the screen, the real background behind him/her is subtracted, and replaced by exotic backgrounds, changing randomly.

The technology behind this installation is complex: the background is constantly changing, so in this context standard background subtraction techniques are not helpful.
We developed a stereo camera system that, by means of a triangulation algorithm, allows the detection of a foreground object.

Window shopping

As interactive windows are becoming part of the future of retail, why not shop directly from them?
In the same way that e-commerce works, this store in Paris has an intercative window display in line with their seasonal sale. Essentially an online catalogue it allows you to choose items and reserve them for future purchase and collection.