ah, christmas window. A once-a-year miracle where red glitter, fuzzy sweaters, shiny mannequins, and expensive ornaments join forces to convince you that life is incomplete without a $300 candle in the shape of a pine tree. Every year, with our eyes wide open and our wallets trembling subtly, we walk past fairytale-like cityscapes as if by magic. We have an announcement. All the magic is really just a $5,000 marketing plan wrapped in tinsel. There’s a reason December is the busiest shopping month of the year.
Since the 1800s, beautifully lit scenes with artificial snow and cute props have been something to feel about. I regretted it later when checking out. Department stores realized early on that a mannequin in the right light would be more difficult to manipulate a user’s desires than a year’s worth of marketing campaigns. These displays create the world. Cozy nostalgia, childhood magic and fairy tale fantasy. I’ve seen many sidewalks transformed into holiday spectacles, but I’ve also witnessed more shoppers fall victim to the hypnotic hypnosis of twinkling lights. Everything is now interactive, immersive, and borderline controllable, but at least it looks pretty. The mission hasn’t changed one bit. Make them feel good, and most importantly, smile as they hand over their money.
This is the genius of Christmas windows. Rather than just displaying things, they turn the store into a trap door, not showing you the products, but giving you a premonition of your emotions before you even touch them. People flock to meet them, but lo and behold, they leave with something they didn’t even know existed. desire is created outside Get your foot in the door long before there’s a price tag or salesperson involved. In the same way, shopping goes from being a boring adult responsibility to an “experience” that we are already immersed in. The holidays officially begin when the city blocks just shine, we all know that. Memories and loyalty? Although magically created by nature, it is actually just a side effect of clever retailing. Brick-and-mortar stores have an advantage online because there are no algorithms to replace standing in front of a window you weren’t planning on looking at, social media has turned every passerby into a free promoter, and consumers… well, you’ve been trained to ask for exactly what they want.
Source: Our Culture – ourculturemag.com
