The latest innovation to enhance the high street is technical window displays. As technology gets increasingly advanced, just about anything is possible - and today's digital displays are integrated so seamlessly into our everyday lives that we possibly don't even realise how many there are.When we're out shopping, digital signage solutions can attract and charm us. They're not just a flashy marketing tool. They can improve the overall customer experience and when used as part of a window display, they will attract passers-by into your store, who may otherwise have simply walked past.© Monkey Business / Adobe StockSavvy retailers are incorporating the latest digital technology into their marketing techniques. Whereas a shop window display in years gone by was often colourful and attention-grabbing, ultimately it was static.Today, interactive displays can further enhance the customers' opinion of the store and interest them before they even step through the door. Striking window displays offer some serious benefits for retailers. Total experiencePeople love interacting with things. Whereas a static window display might catch our eye, we enjoy the total experience of seeing and touching something interesting. It's more likely to draw us in.The difference between an interactive and a static window is like watching a live band busking in the street, compared with reading a poster on a bus shelter about their forthcoming gig. We'll be automatically drawn to something interactive, while we might easily walk past the poster, especially if we're in a rush.This typical human behaviour is the main reason why interactive displays are so valuable for high street stores. They have the "wow" effect that makes us want to go in and experience more. Engaging and funAn interactive retail display has a big impact on customer engagement, creating loyalty and confidence towards the brand. Any type of interaction with a brand makes the customer more likely to remember the store and the brand in future.In addition, interaction provides more fun and entertainment. Trying out an interactive display is something we'll enjoy doing. Increasing the entertainment aspect of shopping is a bonus for retailers, because shopping is supposed to be fun, rather than a chore.Customers will want to try out these new tools that are putting the fun back into the high street. A prime example of this is Nike's interactive window displays at Selfridges in London.These included one window where customers walking past outside were invited to stand on a marked spot on the pavement and jump as high as they could. The height of their jump was measured electronically and displayed as part of the window display. They could even see the resulting photo of their jump in a gallery in the shop window!The Dutch creative agency, Staat, had designed and created eight interactive window displays for Nike at Selfridges. The windows were on display during the 2012 London Olympics, with each window display interacting with passers-by in a different way. The technology creating the interactivity was provided by Kinect. EducationalAs well as being fun, technical window displays are educational. Retailers are continually searching for ways to let customers know about their products without being intrusive. The integration of touch screens and videos can attract customers' attention, letting them know about a product's features and benefits.The display can demonstrate a product and point customers towards a sale. This can be a more successful method of imparting information to customers, rather than having a salesperson approach and try to enter into a discussion.Consumers would generally rather be in control of when and how they get the information - many don't like being forced into a conversation. They would rather see an interactive window display at their leisure. FlexibilityThe beauty of technical window displays is that they are flexible. The retailer can change them as often as they choose. They can test the content and find out what attracts people the most - this is made possible by a content management system.Digital menu boards are everywhere today, from fast food stores to petrol stations. They give retailers the option of changing the information as many times in the day as they like, within seconds. The way in which the menu boards are constantly changing give consumers the feeling that all of the items on sale are fresh and new. Target audienceTechnical window displays can be geared up to a business's target audience. For example, a car showroom can give customers the drive of their life, as high-quality driving sequences can be projected showing the various vehicles in action. This enables potential customers to visualise themselves in the driving seat.Travel agents can transport potential customers to exotic shores and their dream destination and make dreams a reality by using a technical window display. Window shoppers can take a look at the bargain holidays on offer, while taking virtual tours of the hotels or leisure attractions.High street stores can also use their interactive window display to advertise their business partners' complementary services. This provides the potential for the service to become self-financing.Thanks to today's new tech, the possibilities for window displays are endless and in the current competitive retail environment, retailers need to ensure they have an edge over competitors by having the best window displays on the high street.Commercial Aluminium Shopfronts supplies and installs modern high-quality shopfront windows to give your premises a head start. Please contact us for further information - we look forward to hearing from you!

Christmas window displays are sparkling away all over Britain, on high streets, in shopping centres and in the windows of smaller retailers away from the city centre. Everyone realises the value of an alluring festive window to draw the customers in at the busiest time of the year.The aim is to attract potential customers, who may not normally come in. If the Christmas window display is striking enough to stop passers-by in their tracks, they may wander in for a look, instead of continuing on their way.Today, it's commonplace for just about every shop with a large enough window to display their wares to the best of their ability, but how did the now-common practice of window displays begin? First window displaysThe tradition dates back to the 18th century, although at the time, it was only the larger stores in the cities who dressed their windows.Until this point, the practice had been for shopkeepers to stand in their doorway, actively trying to lure customers in with some self-promotion, while their goods were often stacked up in the window area, in no particular order.Then, the idea of seasonal window displays began to catch on among savvy shopkeepers in the late 18th century. In London, where the competition was fierce among retail stores even by the 1780s, those with more spacious windows often changed their displays to keep them looking fresh.A letter written by a visitor to London in 1786 described how the practice of displaying silk, muslin and chintz fabrics for women's garments in shop windows was a "cunning device". The window displays enabled customers to see how each material would look when hanging in the folds of a woman's dress, spurring them into buying it.The letter was quoted by early 20th century social historian Alison Adburgham, the one-time fashion editor of The Guardian newspaper, as evidence that some retailers were aware of more sophisticated marketing techniques more than 200 years ago. Department storesBy the 19th century, when the main streets had gas lights and there were more small stores with glass windows, an increasing number of traders had seasonal window displays. With many storeys and large plate glass windows, the department store first arrived in the 1850s.This heralded a new era for window displays, with fashion goods in particular displayed in room settings on shop window dummies, known as mannequins, for optimum visual impact.Window displays were exhibiting goods in context and settings, with fixtures, stands and accessories, as well as the mannequins. This led to scope for better seasonal and Christmas displays, with the mannequins in festive surroundings.The widely-held belief is that the world's first major Christmas window display was exhibited by Macy’s store in New York in 1874. It featured scenes from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, inhabited by a collection of porcelain dolls in costumes from all over the world.The owner of the legendary department store, RH Macy, saw it as an opportunity to bring more Christmas spirit to his premises. In the late 19th century, Macy's Christmas window displays became legendary and a visitor attraction in their own right.People would travel to New York from far and wide to see the spectacular festive windows and this became a hugely valuable marketing tactic.Other retailers soon followed suit and by the early 20th century, competition for grabbing the attention of shoppers was increasingly intense. The trend was prevalent across America, in particular in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago - home of the majority of major department stores at that time. Leading UK displaysIn the UK, department stores also joined the growing trend for dressing up their windows with Christmas displays.Selfridges, the Oxford Street department store that was launched in March 1909 by American entrepreneur Harry Selfridge, not only had festive window displays, it was also the first luxury retailer to have a Christmas display that filled almost a whole floor inside the store.During the 20th century, the trend for creating sparkling Christmas windows grew, until it was unusual for a retailer not to have a festive display.In today's competitive retail climate, when the digital age means internet shopping is rivalling the high street, it's even more important for shopfronts to look as inviting as possible, especially at the busiest time of year.The need for retailers to come up with unique window displays, especially around the Christmas period, is crucial. An estimated 70% of shoppers enjoy physically experiencing products and interacting with staff face-to-face before making a purchase, so luring them into the store is massively important.In the same way that annual iconic Christmas adverts on TV can affect retailer's success, Christmas window displays are also at the heart of their high street presence. A recent study by Lord and Taylor, a historic American department store in Fifth Avenue, New York, estimated that 500,000 people passed by its windows daily.Even if you entice only a small percentage of customers into the shop at Christmas, this will significantly increase footfall - so an attractive window display is paramount.Commercial Aluminium Shopfronts (CAS) will supply and install high-quality shopfront windows to your retail premises to add a fresh and inviting feel. Please contact us for details of our products and services – we look forward to hearing from you!The Commercial Aluminium Shopfronts team would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

© Copyright Rossographer

With the loss of almost 30,000 UK jobs, the dramatic collapse of retail chain Woolworths in 2008 sent shock waves rippling through the high street. After 129 years' trading, analysts wondered how the former global brand could have crashed so suddenly, with little warning.The first Woolworths had opened in New York City in 1879 and the company had continually expanded throughout the 20th century, making record profits of £105.1 million in 1998. Yet 10 years later, the rise and fall of Woolworths was complete, as 800 UK stores closed their doors for the final time.So, whatever happened to Woolworths, and how did such a massive brand fall victim to the challenging economic climate of the 21st century? OriginsAmerican entrepreneur Frank Winfield Woolworth was just 24 years old when he launched his first shop in Utica, New York, on 22nd February 1878. He called it Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store, which was the equivalent of today's discount stores, such as the £1 shop.This was the beginning of the concept of the five-and-dime store, or the variety store, when a shop would sell a wide assortment of cheap items for household and personal use. Woolworths became known as the "cheap and cheerful" shop, where all the products cost five cents each.In addition, the store introduced a new way of serving customers. Prior to this, it was normal to give the retailer a list of what you wanted, as a lot of goods were kept behind the counter, so the shopkeeper could personally serve the customer.The new Woolworth shop was revolutionary, in that the merchandise was on open shelves that the public could access themselves. This enabled them to browse the products and choose what they wanted at their leisure, without the aid of a retail assistant.Pioneering the modern methods of merchandising, direct purchasing, sales and customer services which are still in use today, this created a retail model which has been followed worldwide. ExpansionOn 18^th July 1879, Frank Woolworth joined forces with his younger brother Charles Sumner Woolworth, who was 23, to open another store of the same name in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The second store was an even bigger success than the first and the Woolworth brothers had invented a money-making formula with their five-and-dime chain.They continued to open new stores during the late 19th century throughout the United States. By 1904, they had already built their own empire and had expanded into Canada too.In November 1909, the first UK Woolworths opened on Church Street in Liverpool. The highest price of any item in the shop was 6d - the shop was a huge hit! It received a lot of favourable publicity in the newspapers, where it was described as stocking an "infinite" selection of wares.The brothers had initially operated as the Woolworth Syndicate but their brand name changed to the FW Woolworth Company in 1912.By the mid-1920s, they were opening one new shop every 17 days! In the UK, Woolworths' familiar red fascia and brand name on the high street was welcomed, as it was a kind of seal of approval for their town centre. 20th-century successThe UK Woolworth business empire was being managed by William Stephenson by the 1940s. Frank Woolworth had trained the former freight clerk, who had become his protégé.Stephenson had impressed Frank when he worked for a supplier of the five-cent stores in the early days. He had worked his way up through the company to a managerial role, although he remained a hands-on type of person. Following Frank's death in 1919, Charles Woolworth managed the business with Stephenson.By the 1940s, around 500 Woolworth stores had opened in Britain and it was the biggest high street chain of its era. The expansion continued throughout the next two decades. In 1958, the 1,000th store was opened in Britain in Hove and the chain reached its peak in the late 1960s, when there were 1,141 high street branches.Woolworths was famous for its Christmas shopping campaigns. It became a winter wonderland of festive cheer, Christmas decorations, Santa's grotto in the larger stores and every toy imaginable.It was also famous for its pick and mix sweets, loved by kids and adults alike as they would fill their paper bag with a selection of chocolates and candies of their choice. Seeds of failureIn the 1970s, Woolworth began closing down an average of 15 stores per year but stated this was to fund more modern stores and insisted the brand wasn't downsizing. By the start of the 1980s, there were still around 1,000 UK shops on the high street.The 1980s proved a challenging decade for the retailer. The US parent company sold out in 1982 and the UK arm became independent, forming Woolworths Group plc. However, for the first time, high street stores were closing, without any new ones opening.Woolworths' foray into the large out-of-town hypermarket format (which had begun in the 1960s) wasn't a success and most had been sold by the early 1980s. The management reorganised the merchandise into specific categories, including home, entertainment, kids' toys, clothing and confectionery, but the brand went into a decline and many branches were downsized. The older branches in cities often occupied premises that were as large as a department store and some of these were downsized, or closed altogether. Where did it go wrong?There appeared to be no clearly-defined reason for Woolworths' gradual decline, although business analysts at the BBC described it as having become "something of a lame duck retailer" and claimed it had been losing significant market share against intense competition from newcomers on the high street.Consumers and business leaders were left wondering where it had all gone wrong in 2008 when Woolworths came to a sad end. There were accusations that it hadn't kept pace with the times and had relied too much on its traditional, tried and trusted formula.The US arm of Woolworths (owned by a rival US retail company) had closed down in 1997, after 118 years' trading, but no-one had foreseen the scale of problems that the UK company was suffering. The British chain still appeared to be in relatively good shape, after becoming part of the retail giant Kingfisher, owner of B&Q. In 1998, Woolworths had announced record profits and all seemed to be well.Woolworths and Kingfisher went their separate ways in 2001, after the recession and the credit crunch were said to have impacted negatively on Woolworths. In addition, it was said to be struggling, as rent bills for its UK shops had more than doubled from a manageable £70 million to a staggering £160 million.The brand was also in competition with well-established rivals, such as Argos, plus the new kids on the block, such as the discount chain Poundland and Wilkinson, both of which had entered the non-food market and were attracting Woolworths' customers with their cheap prices.It was also reported that Woolworths had suffered stock shortages and that its stores were perceived to be "unfashionable" in the 21st century, failing to attract the new generation of shoppers.The credit crunch finally succeeded in wiping Woolworths out and it went into administration in 2008. It was described by business analysts as the "bleakest day in retail history", when the chain went into the control of receivers. Its remaining 800 stores closed down and almost 30,000 jobs were lost.There were calls for the government to bail Woolworths out, but the plea fell on deaf ears. A report by the BBC said Woolworths' generally weak position was the reason why the government hadn't intervened. The company reportedly had debts of £385 million and there appeared to be no way back.The company had tried to sell itself for the token sum of £1, with the new buyer taking over the debt and restructuring the business, but eventually, the board simply ran out of time and Woolworths closed down, signalling the end of an era.In April 2017, the company's former director, Tony Page, reportedly expressed an interest in acquiring the Woolworths' brand name, leading to rumours that the store may be resurrected, but to date, there has been no confirmation of whether this is the case. First impressions countIt's no secret that today's economic climate presents challenges for even the most successful retailers. In particular, competition from online stores is taking consumers from the high street.First impressions count, so make sure your store's exterior is welcoming and appealing - the kind of shopfront that stops people in their tracks and makes them want to step inside.Commercial Aluminium Shopfronts (CAS) supplies and installs high-quality shopfront windows that will give your retail premises the edge. Please contact us for details of our products and services, we'd love to talk to you!