Creating “wow” effects in shop design
The PLEXIGLAS® booth at EuroShop 2020 demonstrates how special shopping experiences can be created in shopfitting.
What is a reliable indication of the attractiveness of a shop? Customers who pull out their smartphone to take a picture of the shop design, or post an image of the extravagant way the goods are presented on Instagram. Individuality is an important factor for success in shopfitting.
“If shop owners want to fight back against the competition from online shops, they must offer their customers shopping experiences that leave a lasting impression,” says Matthias Schäfer, expert for visual communication & lighting at PLEXIGLAS® manufacturer Röhm. This begins with a striking exterior and continues inside with an extraordinary ambiance and a surprising product presentation. The PLEXIGLAS® booth at EuroShop 2020 in Düsseldorf impressively shows how the brand acrylic glass can contribute to this. The brand presented itself as part of the new company, Röhm GmbH, for the first time at the international trade show for shopfitting and booth construction.
Plants are currently trending in interior design
From a distance, the booth already stands out as a green oasis in the midst of the trade fair, as plants and different translucent PLEXIGLAS® versions are combined to create a harmonious symbiosis, which can also be used in contemporary shopfitting. “Combining green plants with other materials is currently a big topic in interior design, one which is inspired by urban gardening and vertical gardens in apartments,” explains Denise Gündling, expert for furniture and interior design at Röhm. For example, the ornamental leaves of the popular plant, Monstera, are a ubiquitous yet eye-catching sight in both product design and fashion.
One material – many options
Attracting attention is everything. This applies for trade show booths and especially so for the progressing trend towards shop-in-shop systems. “Companies need a strong brand and shop design to stand out from the crowd,” Gündling explains. “PLEXIGLAS® and its numerous shapes, colors and surfaces is ideal here, as it can be used to create a broad variety of effects.”
Perfectly setting the scene for high-quality goods
One exhibit in particular has a magic power of attraction on the guests: an elegantly curved, glossy white shelf in a black reflective recess. It is shaped like a giant leaf, with a gold bowl placed on each level. Such extravagant displays can be shaped using PLEXIGLAS® Hi-Gloss. Denise Gündling tells us the secret of this material: “It consists of two layers: one colored and one highly transparent layer, which together create the unique depth effect."
Protecting high-gloss surfaces against scratches
High-gloss displays, but also wall claddings, furniture fronts or counters like this, underline an elegant, classy ambiance and also increase the perceived size of the room. At the same time, these materials must be resistant to scratches and fingerprints when used in shopfitting and booth construction. PLEXIGLAS® variants enhanced with scratch-resistant coatings are suitable for particularly high demands on the surfaces.
The difference between the two types is easy to see at the booth: On a display wall with a palm tree print, the unglazed area appears dull, while PLEXIGLAS® Optical HC creates a vibrant surface, helping to display the palm leaves in a vivid green. Directly alongside this, the matte-satin version of PLEXIGLAS® Optical HCM shows how surfaces can be enhanced without reflecting.
PLEXIGLAS® Optical HC and PLEXIGLAS® Optical HCM can be backprinted with any design. “Alongside individual designs, it is also possible to imitate other materials,” explains Denise Gündling.
Atmospheric illumination of back walls
The brand acrylic glass reveals its full potential in combination with light. “PLEXIGLAS® Black & White allows sensational effects to be created in shopfitting,” comments illumination expert Matthias Schäfer, as he picks up a remote control to demonstrate this.
A plant scene reminiscent of a jungle immediately appears behind the counter on what was just before a black, high-gloss surface. The effect works in a similar fashion to a smartphone screen: The cover made from PLEXIGLAS® sheets in neutral gray appears almost black, but when backlit with LEDs, images or writing appear on it – bright and in true colors.
Standing out with illuminated advertising
PLEXIGLAS® and LEDs are also a strong team in illuminated advertising: At the trade fair booth, a letter R – for Röhm – lit up in white represents the homogeneous illumination effect of PLEXIGLAS® for all types of illuminated advertisement systems. “The trend in visual communication is moving towards milled letters,” said Schäfer. “It is easier to fabricate them from a block of PLEXIGLAS® LED than it is to create them from multiple materials. At the same time, they are also weather-resistant and low-maintenance."
Any shape can be milled from the white-dyed, highly light-diffusing block material – from fine ornaments to 50 centimeter-tall letters. LED strips are inserted into a milled groove and illuminate the object from the inside out – creating vibrant logos that can even outshine the competition in a crowded shopping mall.
