Selfridges 'Happy New Decade' with Glow Inflatables

At the beginning of the 20th Century, Harry Gordon Selfridge’s aim for his flagship store in Oxford Street, London was to provide shoppers with a highly enjoyable experience. He conceived that a trip to the shops could be less of a chore and more of an adventurous leisure activity. A key part of his grand plan was to develop a welcoming environment adorned with eye-catching displays which would attract customers from far and wide. The thought of viewing one of the UK’s most prestigious displays soon made a trip to Selfridges an essential part of a London shopping experience. The success of this new and exciting approach to retail marketing led to Selfridges being named as the best department store in the world. New stores sprang up in Birmingham and Manchester, spreading this innovative and exciting shopping experience across the country.

Since then, Selfridges has been famous for its original and bold displays both in the shop windows and in-store. Many thousands of people each year are drawn in to see the launch of their new initiatives which change to reflect the seasons but also serve to set coming trends. With four completely original new campaigns a year whereby the displays are magically changed in the blink of an eye, it is essential for Selfridges to collaborate with a company who can provide exceptionally high-quality installations quickly, efficiently and on schedule.

This year, Selfridges were keen to develop a campaign which set an optimistic tone for the new decade. This fresh, new vibe would be minimal and simplistic and include bold shapes and colours for maximum impact. At this time of year, with dark days and miserable weather, what could be more uplifting than a bright and cheerful shopping experience? As well as attracting an increase in foot traffic through providing colourful and dynamic window displays, the theme would be continued throughout the store. Each department would combine the innovative installations with stunning new merchandise to provide the customer with an all-round feel-good experience.

To make their vision become a reality, Selfridges’ visual merchandising team collaborated with Glow Inflatables – specialists in bringing ideas to life and creating impressive 3D marketing displays.  The Selfridges Christmas Inflatables resulting from this collaboration can be seen below. Glow Inflatables were the ideal choice for the task of launching the ‘Happy New Decade’ campaign as they can provide everything from design, manufacture, supply, installation and aftercare of their products which are always of the highest quality.

Once Glow Inflatables were on board, Selfridges’ initial visual representations were transformed into reality by incorporating unique designs and a range of materials. The Glow Inflatables team performed a site survey to ensure that the designs would be appropriate for the available space. Throughout the manufacturing process, the Glow Inflatables team worked closely with the Selfridges Visual Merchandising team to keep them fully informed of all developments and ensure that they were completely satisfied with the overall finish of the products.

As if by magic, the Glow Inflatables team worked throughout the night to transform the store from its Christmas theme to the Happy New Decade campaign. The desired ‘feel-good’ vibe was spread throughout the stores in London, Birmingham and Manchester with the expert installation of a dazzling range of inflatables including giant smileys, letters, moustaches and rainbows. Inflatable jellies were also used both in-store and in the window displays. These giant replica jellies were specifically designed with a semi-transparent printed gradient PVC to give the effect of a real jelly. Customers commented on how they looked good enough to eat!

In the shop windows, Glow installed intriguing dancing men at strategically placed angles to create the feeling of movement, giant rainbows and googly-eyed arches that have to be seen to be believed. A huge purple belly wearing its own Lycra yoga pants in a zen pose added humour whilst emphasising the current focus on mental well-being. These seemingly random creations were all part of the overall concept of the season to be fresh, fun and positive in 2020. The concepts and colours were carefully designed and printed to tie in with the stores’ overall themes and other promotional builds. As you can imagine, the impact was phenomenal!

The Selfridges team were delighted with the service they received from Glow Inflatables reporting to be really happy with their fantastic end products and thanking them for their support and hard work. They were particularly impressed with the overnight team whose efficiency and attention to detail were second to none.

Mindful of the environmental implications of using PVC products, Selfridges were keen to make use of Glow Inflatables’ end of life policy whereby at the end of a promotion, the inflatables can be up-cycled. Previous installations have been transformed into limited edition accessories which can prolong the life of a campaign and provide a new source of income or be given away as free gifts.

This collaboration between Selfridges, the prestigious department store, and industry leading Glow Inflatables, the team you can trust to turn your ideas into reality, goes to prove that anything is possible in the world of retail promotions.