Window Shopping 2.0: Visual Concept vs. Interactivity
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Window shopping and festive period
Window shopping gained popularity in the early 20th century due to industrialization and economic growth. The introduction of plate-glass windows allowed department stores to showcase goods, attracting passersby to enter the store. Harry Gordon Selfridge, founder of Selfridges in London, was a pioneer in this, using his windows to display merchandise and wartime news, turning them into city attractions.
It has opened up new opportunities for retailers to attract buyers during the holiday season. Retailers' efforts to surprise customers with festive shop displays have transformed the urban landscapes of major cities, turning their streets into popular destinations during November and December.
Macy’s in New York led the charge as the first department store to introduce an innovative window display featuring a mechanical Santa Claus, sparking media excitement and drawing viewers from across the city. Saks Fifth Avenue furthered this trend with their "window unveiling" event, transforming it into a festive occasion.
Merging art, innovations and retail
As the 20th century progressed, window shopping evolved from a mere product display tactic to a form of artistic expression and a showcase for new innovative ideas. It became a cultural phenomenon that set trends and reflected contemporary agendas.
Retailers started to diversify windows, creating different installations depending on the season, important cultural events or available goods. Many collaborated with famous designers to create remarkable installations. Among notorious examples — Gene Moore’s tenure at Tiffany & Co., and Barney’s windows designed by Simon Doonan.
Big department stores continued to set trends for window decorations, constantly turning to innovations. Macy’s, Bergdorf Goodman and Tiffany & Co. used available technology of those times, such as animatronics, synchronized lighting and projections, to create immersive and dynamic scenes inside their displays.
By the beginning of the 21st century, many retailers continued to explore innovations, merging the worlds of fashion and new technology. In the 2000s, Selfridges began incorporating video screens into their windows. In 2010, they shocked the public by unveiling touch-screen displays, allowing passersby to try virtual 3D watches. Ralph Lauren was an early adopter of holographic technology, projecting life-size boxing scenes in the windows of the Polo Ralph Lauren boutique in New York. Harrods installed LCD screens in their windows to display product information, while Bergdorf Goodman used motion sensors to activate animations and lights as people passed by.
The future of window shopping is here
The 2020s have brought new challenges to retailers with the domination of online shopping and advanced technologies, such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The pandemic accelerated the digital shift, making it clear that having a beautiful retail destination was no longer enough to attract visitors. Modern consumers crave strong emotions and entertainment — compelling reasons to leave the comfort of their homes and engage in physical shopping.
This new era signified the rise of "retailtainment" — a concept that combines traditional retail with entertainment. The concept goes beyond traditional window shopping, compelling retailers to leverage technological innovations to engage customers in unexpected ways.
Smart mirrors with AR features have quickly become one of the most popular tools in modern merchandising, seamlessly combining tradition with innovation and providing entertainment for shoppers of all ages. In 2023, Lego celebrated the Holiday season by installing magic mirrors in the windows of its store in New York that allowed visitors to play a virtual snowball fight game.
Coach embraced AR try-on technology designed by ZERO10 and placed an AR mirror at the storefront, where passersby could visualize themselves wearing an it-bag from the brand’s latest collection without entering the store.
New technology has permeated beyond traditional window merchandising, allowing retailers to experiment on new levels. The viral Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama collaboration featured a gigantic robotic statue of the artist herself that adorned the wall of Louis Vuitton’s flagship store in Paris. Similarly, Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster has become famous for its artistic retail spaces, featuring modern art objects and robots that interact with customers.
Looking ahead, the fusion of art, technology, and retail will continue to drive the evolution of window shopping. As brands push the boundaries of creativity and experimentation, we can expect to see even more groundbreaking displays that will transform the way we shop and interact with our surroundings.