Bringing together style and science, global footwear brand Vionic Shoes has seen a continued growth which prompted a recent move into a new showroom space located at 1370 Avenue of Americas in New York City. In this new environment where reps and buyers would be enticed to purchase the latest innovative shoe designs for their retail locations, a new brand was also being launched, Vionic Beach. Needing a way to make sure the latest in life-changing footwear didn’t get lost on the showroom floor, the retail presence and showroom designer David Warwick created a unique and immersive LED video beach experience using FLEXLite II 4.8mm LED from PixelFLEX™.

(Image: PixelFLEX)

“With the growth of the Vionic Shoes brand, we were very fortunate to secure the showroom space at the Avenue of the America’s, and we wanted to create a space that would build the brand for our reps,” began Warwick. “At the same time, we were also introducing a new, beach lifestyle brand called Vionic Beach which is based on our heritage from Australia. In the large showroom space, I didn’t want Vionic Beach to get missed when reps or buyers came through, so we designed a unique space with its own personality using the FLEXLite LED to really make it stand-out.”

FLEXLite LED from PixelFLEX™ is an economical and dynamic solution which provides both indoor and outdoor solutions ideal for any retail environment. With its bright, dense display and high refresh rate, FLEXLite tiles are calibrated directly out of the box to ensure perfect color and brightness, and its easy access back panels allow for simple on-site repairs without the hassle of removing the entire back of a tile.

(Image: PixelFLEX)

Warwick continued, “Once we started working with the layout of the showroom, there was a central area that really stood out as the best location for the Vionic Beach display because it was a lovely, blank wall that was about 10-feet high and 8-feet wide. From there we started looking at what type of technology we could to use to create the wow-factor for the buyers and draw their attention to the new brand. Since this would also serve as a prototype for what we could do at the retail locations, we didn’t want the normal product stands and static displays. That wouldn’t give us the excitement I was looking to create which is why we decided to go with an LED video solution.”

Knowing now he wanted to use LED video for the retail design, Warwick began to take a look at industry examples of what the technology could do.  Searching online, he came across one solution that was right in line with what he was looking to create, and that also led him to PixelFLEX™.

Ready to move forward with a PixelFLEX™ solution, Warwick began to work with the team in Nashville to find the right technology. Not wanting to be held back by product limitations, he was happy to find the many PixelFLEX™ options available that would be powerful enough to create the new environment, while simple enough for a showroom manager to control. “I have been wanting to use LED video in the retail environment for a while now, so I did some reconnaissance. One of the locations that really jumped out to me was a Nordstrom’s in Toronto that had a wall of PixelFLEX™ LED in the shoe area reinforcing the product with dynamic video of a trail runner. It was so immersive, and a really nice way to showcase product, capture attention and tell the story much better than static displays.”

“Once I got into looking at the product lines, I saw the multitude of creative options with PixelFLEX™ which was great because we didn’t want to be constrained by having to design around the LED solution. I wanted something thin with an intensity of color that was easy to install. Plus, it needed to be a solution that the IT department could do a simple plug-and-play for the content, and one that would work consistently for the showroom manager each morning with the flip of a switch.”

(Image: PixelFLEX)

With the FLEXLite II LED video solution identified, the team got ready for the installation in the new showroom, but as part of a larger installation, the LED video needed to go up quickly and easily in order to keep the opening on schedule.

“The service we received from PixelFLEX™ was excellent from day one,” added Warwick. “We ended up building a freestanding structure that stood in front of the wall and then attached the FLEXLite LED to the back of the unit. The whole installation was completed in only a couple of hours, and for the control, it’s wired perfectly into the showroom so that all the manager has to do is walk in, turn it on, and away it goes.”

Now open to customers, suppliers, business partners and media members wanting a look at the latest Vionic Shoes innovations, the new LED video design for Vionic Beach is performing beautifully. Taking visitors on a quick trip back to a relaxing memory of sand between their toes, the FLEXLite II LED display is using the power of digital media make a true connection in the retail experience.  

“The entire goal of the project was to have the LED video immerse the viewer into the brand of Vionic Beach, so the content is a relaxing beach environment with palm trees swaying in the breeze and the ocean rolling in behind it,” concluded Warwick. “When you look at it, it’s one of those magical moments in retail design where it all simply comes together as it was meant to be. We have had numerous buyers who will literally stop to take it all in.  Anytime you can incorporate movement into the retail space it always works better because with everyone being so bombarded with brands and digital information, LED video cuts through and allows you to connect very quickly.”