Technical aspects of display space and current trends in its design
Showcase creation and decoration is a whole art. In order for the display part of your store to work 100%, you need to carefully think it over conceptually and prepare it technically. SR expert in visual merchandising, shop window design and retail space, founder of VMC Retail agency Marina Polkovnikova, talks about the main technical aspects of creating a shop window, and also answers questions about the current color scheme in fashion retail and trends in window dressing.
Marina Polkovnikova - founder of the international company VMC Retail, expert in the development and launch of design concepts and merchandising, store building trainer, 22 years of experience in retail.
In this article, we will formulate the basic rules for working with a showcase in terms of its technical equipment.
LIGHTING:
• Busbar trunking with track lights is predominantly used.
• Height of fixtures mounting - 3-000mm from the floor.
• Installation of the busbar - 150 mm from the glazing / frieze.
• In some display cases, a busbar trunking is installed along the glazing to illuminate the product, close to the floor.
• Illumination of the goods mainly from the front.
• Eliminate the dazzling effect of a person passing by the shop window.
• For 1 item - at least 1 lamp.
CEILING GRILLE:
• The grille is mounted over the entire area of the showcase, excluding the lighting area.
• The color of the grille is made in the color of the ceiling
• The grill should not be visible from the side of the display case.
• Installation of the lattice is carried out to the rough ceiling (overlap) at the stage of construction and installation works or to the ceiling made of gypsum plasterboard (gypsum plasterboard) if the ceiling is reinforced.
• Always bear in mind the maximum load of the grating with possible decorations. If the ceiling is not reinforced, then only light decorations can be hung on the grill.
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PODIUM:
• The podium should be made of MDF, with internal stiffening ribs.
• With frequent changes in the appearance of the podiums, it is recommended: 1) to create covers-decorations; 2) use ferrofilm.
• The color of the podium is matched to the color of the flooring / walls of the showcase.
• The podium completely covers the showcase area or partially, in the case of a special length (more than 6 meters).
What colors and textures are relevant this year, not only in summer, but also in other periods?
Today there are three global trends that are very actively used in shop windows, and they are not limited only to the summer period:
- The topic of environmental friendliness, when we use natural materials, we emphasize the texture of wood, for this we can take, for example, OSB panels (these are pressed sawdust), which are perceived as natural wood in color, texture and smell.
- The use of vegetation (artificial and real) in different ways - mainly, these are rich greens. Floral motifs are floral prints, large flowers that are very well represented in different brands this spring-summer season, and this trend will continue in autumn, because there are many floral prints in the collections of luxury brands.
- The use of natural shades of earth, sand, water, sky in interiors, furniture and trade equipment.
How should showcases work today so that customers enter the store - taking into account the fact that people go to shopping centers and stores less often and buy less?
It is important to create the correct concept here - the showcase must precisely cling, attract, such an effect must be present. If the showcase is pale and nondescript, they will definitely not react to it. It should very clearly reflect the brand's DNA, if not, the potential client will pass by. Therefore, the reflection of DNA is a must have of today's showcase. This can be a regular, basic showcase, out of season. It should be without additional seasonal elements and clearly speak about what kind of product it is and for whom.
Showcase prices work very well. Today, everyone considers their budget, and the reflection of the price tag in the storefront has a positive effect on traffic.
What is the place in the shop windows for all possible screens, gadgets, interactive panels, which are increasingly used in stores today?
Yes, all of the above can be used, but the electronic devices must be commensurate with the dimensions of your display case. This is the first rule. Second, you can't just buy a TV in an electronics store and hang it in a showcase, because for a showcase - street or in a shopping center - there are strict specific requirements for the technical capabilities of devices: in street retail - some, in the showcase of a shopping center - other requirements.
You can't buy the cheapest screen just to tick a box: everything's cool, I'm a digital brand. You can, on the contrary, strongly alienate buyers: poor picture quality, lack of adaptation of video content to the screen, too high brightness of the image - there are a lot of nuances. Ideally, the decision to integrate the screen into the showcase space is made at the stage of designing the showcase and the store as a whole.
Can an offline showcase "turn" into an online showcase, that is, work exclusively for visuals - for young buyers, for generation Z?
An offline showcase should broadcast information about online channels using motivating phrases: "Go online!", "Go to our site!", "Subscribe to our Instagram!" with the message that there, online, there is more information, more goods. An offline storefront should encourage people to enter the online stores of this brand, so that communication with the client continues there.
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