A sneak peak at the future of retail
Diploma of Retail Management
Swinburne Visual Merchandising students have given audiences a look into the future of retail at the Retail 2020 Exhibition, held in August.
Thanks to an industry partnership with Active Display, Megara Australia and Dalton papers, the students created three window displays that showed how retail has changed over time. Windows featured designs appropriate for the years 2000, 2010 and 2020, each one with a different focus. Industry partners It's a Visual Thing, Polyflor, Rax and Dollies, Corelli Lighting and Samsung provided the screens for the exhibit.
Window 2000 consisted of posters and a mannequin, because nearly a decade ago technologies for retail windows had not yet been developed. Window 2010 featured images displayed on nine plasma screens, because window displays of today can use technology such as having multiple images on a screen instead of a static poster. Window 2020 was touch screen interactive, because the future will be based on technology. Consumers will be able to look up information on products, style their purchases and put together an outfit with a touch of a button.
The Retail 2020 Exhibition took place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and featured hundreds of retailers, designers, consultants and shopfitters from around Australia. The project represents a major assessment task for the students as well as an opportunity for them to work with various industry clients.
