LONDON – Window shopping just got pricier: Ralph Lauren launched a 24-hour interactive window in London on Wednesday, giving customers the opportunity to shop by touching a wide screen monitor outside the company's flagship London store.
Boris Becker, Ralph Lauren's brand ambassador and Wimbledon tennis champion, demonstrated the "window shopping" screen, which guides shoppers through the brand's Wimbledon line and shows video tennis clips.
"It just gives you another possibility to order beautiful clothing," Becker said.
Ralph Lauren launched a similar window in New York last year during the U.S. Open. The larger window in London is tailored to the Wimbledon tournament, and will come down after the tournament's close in early July.
Models in Ralph Lauren outfits are projected onto a 78 inch (200 centimeter) lightweight touch foil screen applied directly to the glass.
By touching the model wearing a shawl cardigan over her dress, for example, shoppers will be guided using electronic touch sensory technology to a page adding the cardigan to their digital shopping cart. To get the dress itself, press the arrow and three new images appear, including one highlighting the dress.
"I'd never seen anything like that," Becker said.
Shoppers are contacted by e-mail or phone the next day to securely enter their payment information and arrange for shipping.
The interactive window will also show live Wimbledon scores during the tournament and even features video tennis tips. Simply press the square labeled 'forehand dive', and a player runs across the screen and dives for the ball, racket first — illustrating the move that made Becker famous.
"Fashion and sports mix very well," said Becker, who won Wimbledon in 1985 at the age of 17. Ralph Lauren is the only external company in Wimbledon's 130-year history to outfit the tournament's on-court officials.
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