Skip to content

TechRepublic

  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Big Data
  • Tech Jobs
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Big Data
  • Tech Jobs
  • See All Topics
  • Sponsored
  • Newsletters
  • Forums
  • Resource Library
TechRepublic Premium
Join / Sign In
Hardware

Giving ‘window shopping’ a whole new meaning

By Bill Detwiler August 14, 2006, 3:43 AM PDT on Twitter billdetwiler

Image
1
of 6

display window
display window
Giving ‘window shopping’ a whole new meaning

Caroline McCarthy/CNET News.com

In “Minority Report,” a 2002 science-fiction thriller starring Tom Cruise, futuristic technology allows the characters to control enormous glass computer screens with sweeping motions of their arms. It’s a technology that’s still restricted to fiction, but that didn’t stop David Lauren, a senior vice president at Polo Ralph Lauren (and, yes, Ralph’s son), from using the Tom Cruise flick as the chief inspiration for “Virtual Window Shop,” a new marketing tie-in for the clothing brand’s sponsorship of the 2006 U.S. Open tennis tournament in Queens, N.Y.

rnUntil Sept. 10, visitors to the Polo store at 888 Madison Ave. (near 71st Street, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side), can take advantage of 24-hour window shopping via a 67-inch touch screen that is projected onto the store’s main display window. After that, the Virtual Window Shop will be taken down, but three kiosks using similar technology will be set up at the U.S. Open event itself.

Caroline McCarthy/CNET News.com
Giving ‘window shopping’ a whole new meaning

The Polo store is located on a chic stretch of Manhattan’s Madison Avenue that’s better known for high prices than for high technology. Neighboring stores include Gucci, Prada and Chloé. No word on whether those designer brands might catch on to touch-screen shopping too.

Giving ‘window shopping’ a whole new meaning

In daylight, the “Virtual Window Shop” at Polo Ralph Lauren is barely visible over the U.S. Open-themed mannequin display. (You can faintly see the white background of the touch screen as well as the red “Polo” lettering over it.)

Giving ‘window shopping’ a whole new meaning

Unfortunately, you can’t shop for the entire Polo selection through the touch-screen window: Most of the selection is directly tied to the U.S. Open promotion. A display of items for women, shown here, features tennis dresses, warm-up jackets and Polo logo shirts. In addition to shopping, visitors to the installation can click around to learn tennis tips and bits of notable U.S. Open trivia.

Giving ‘window shopping’ a whole new meaning

A Polo employee in full tennis garb demonstrates the clickable purchasing process. Shoppers can either purchase an item on the spot or have a reminder message sent to their e-mail addresses.

Giving ‘window shopping’ a whole new meaning

At night, the “Virtual Window Shop” not only adds a splash of light to a darkened Manhattan street, it projects a mirror image of the touch-screen display onto the sidewalk.

  • Hardware
  • Account Information

    Share with Your Friends

    Giving ‘window shopping’ a whole new meaning

    Your email has been sent

Share: Giving 'window shopping' a whole new meaning
Image of Bill Detwiler
By Bill Detwiler
Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show.
  • Account Information

    Contact Bill Detwiler

    Your message has been sent

  • |
  • See all of Bill's content

TechRepublic Premium

  • TechRepublic Premium

    Best of Confluent Current 2023: The State of Data Streaming

    TechRepublic Premium was at Confluent’s Current 2023 event, held in San Jose, California, September 26-27. Our coverage of the event comprises an analysis of data streaming, interviews, the role of stream governance and a look at Apache Flink. From the download: Confluent used the Current 2023 ‘next generation of Kafka Summit’ event in San Jose ...

    Downloads
    Published:  September 27, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 28, 2023, 1:00 PM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Quick Glossary: Fintech

    Fintech is a fast changing landscape that constantly introduces cutting-edge ideas and developments. TechRepublic Premium presents this quick glossary of fintech terms and concepts to help you understand technological breakthroughs and make educated decisions. From the glossary: DECENTRALIZED FINANCE Often referred to as DeFi, this utilizes emerging technology to remove third parties and central financial ...

    Downloads
    Published:  September 27, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 28, 2023, 8:52 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Anti-Money Laundering Policy

    Money laundering poses a detrimental impact on businesses and the economy as a whole. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, the amount of money laundered around the world in a single year is presumed to be 2–5% of global GDP, which is roughly $800 billion to $2 trillion. The purpose of ...

    Downloads
    Published:  September 27, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 28, 2023, 9:14 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Hiring Kit: Video Game Audio Engineer

    Modern video games rely on a cornucopia of sounds to engage and engross players. Whether it is ambient sound to set the mood, music to invoke a feeling or dialog to tell the story, sound is vital to the immersive experience of a video game. The individual responsible for meshing all those disparate sounds together ...

    Published:  September 27, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  September 28, 2023, 10:00 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium articles

Services

  • About Us
  • Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Site Help & Feedback
  • FAQ
  • Advertise
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • Careers

Explore

  • Downloads
  • TechRepublic Forums
  • Meet the Team
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Resource Library
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • TechRepublic
  • TechRepublic on Twitter
  • TechRepublic on Facebook
  • TechRepublic on LinkedIn
  • TechRepublic on Flipboard
© 2023 TechnologyAdvice. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Property of TechnologyAdvice