The showcase is also known as a stained glass window or showcase.
Showcase is the outdoor space of commercial stores , intended to display merchandise for sale to the public. Shop windows, also known as stained glass windows or showcases , are closed with glass to prevent theft or damage to the products .
The showcase, therefore, serves to promote sales and affects the image of the establishment, since it is located on its façade. Many times, the first contact that the customer has with the store is through this space, which highlights the importance of designing it based on a clear commercial strategy.
The discipline that is dedicated to presenting the window in an appropriate way based on the combination of the exhibited objects, the structural materials and the decoration is known as window dressing . There are designers who specialize in optimizing shop windows.
Classification of shop windows
The showcase is also considered a means of communication between the store and the real or potential customer. What the business wants to express, it can do so through the showcase, which must be attractive and eye-catching.
Shop windows can be divided into closed-back shop windows (with a background that does not allow you to see inside the store), open-back shop windows (that allow you to see the interior of the establishment) or semi-open shop windows (with some parts closed and others uncovered).
To design a showcase, several issues must be taken into account.
Design Tips
Listed below are some tips that window design experts have shared with entrepreneurs:
- Take advantage of new technologies : thanks to the possibilities offered by the Internet and mobile devices, it is possible to build an "interactive" showcase , which allows customers to obtain detailed information about products before entering a store. A good idea is to place QR codes on the glass so that interested parties can scan them and access all types of content on the Internet. Sometimes, shyness prevents certain people from approaching shop assistants to ask them questions, and this resource can put an end to their problems and increase our percentage of sales, and all through a minimal investment.
- Generate movement : it is known that when we walk down the street our eyes tend to focus on everything that is moving, especially to plot the route and avoid accidents. It is a very good idea to take advantage of this unconscious mechanism of our brain to attract more views to our showcase, especially considering that most designs are static. A very useful resource to break this is to place a screen that reproduces a non-invasive but constant sequence behind the products.
- Recycle : using recycled materials to make up a display has several advantages, since it not only directly helps the environment and allows us to reduce costs, but it also sends a good message to the community, inviting them to imitate our initiative of recycling instead of throwing away . It is not necessary to have great ideas, but to see in apparently useless objects an ornament, a suitable complement to the products on display.
- Contrast the objects : one of the most useful resources is to look for the contrast between the colors, lights, textures and materials of the items and accessories that we place in the window. Through the mixture of objects from different origins, such as the combination of plants and clothing, a wide spectrum of sensations is generated in passers-by, and invites them to come closer to understand the messages we are trying to convey to them.
Other uses of the term showcase
In some countries, the notion of showcase is also used to name a cupboard or closet-type piece of furniture that has doors and allows you to store various objects.
Another use of the term refers to the circumstance or place in which the characteristics of something or someone become very noticeable . For example: "The industrial fair is a showcase for all companies in the sector."