Barneys, Macy’s Among Retailers with High-Tech Holiday Window Displays

Projection, 3D mapping among the technologies to make shoppers’ spirits bright.

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These days, retailers have to do everything they can to get some shoppers to step away from their computers and mobile devices and actually come to their stores. During the holiday season, that task becomes a little bit easier, thanks to the long-standing tradition of festive window displays.

In recent years these displays have taken on a decidedly high-tech feel, especially in shopping meccas such as New York City, which hosts millions of holiday visitors every year, starting with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and followed by the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

To borrow a phrase, the Empire State meets state-of-the-art display technology as the season gets in full swing.

Christie teamed with Barneys for what they’re calling “a spectacular, fully immersive visitor experience” at the company’s flagship store in Manhattan. The long-time partners worked together on “magical windows and an in-store gallery through the use of visual technologies,” inspired by rapper and sports agent Jay Z, visual artist Joanie Lemercier and Barneys’ creative director Dennis Freedman.

The display, named “A New York Holiday,” is a series of unique windows facing Madison Avenue and an interactive in-store gallery brought to life by the latest generation of Christie digital display technologies.

“A New York Holiday” utilizes several types of Christie display technology, including projectors, MicroTiles and HD flat-panel monitors, “to create dazzling, multimedia events that completely envelop the customers in one-of-a-kind interactive experiences,” organizers say.

The third floor has been transformed into the BNY SCC Gallery, an immersive 1,200-square-foot space with a seamless 360-degree projection that utilizes projection mapping, exclusive content, lights, and movement, to transport customers into the world of New York. A 70-foot long “hall” with floor projection will guide visitors from the third floor elevator to the Gallery, which showcases limited edition Jay Z-designed products.

A more modest display of Christie technology will be part of regional displays in Barneys stores in Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago and Boston. In those stores, visitors will see content on Christie HD flat panels that highlights some of the Jay Z collection in that location.

Across the Big Apple, Macy’s Christmas windows display a little boy’s journey through an enchanted forest on Christmas Eve and include an interactive element where spectators can manipulate snow. Here’s a look at the unveiling of this always-popular annual display:

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