It doesn’t take an industry insider to know that the retail business has grown by leaps and bounds since the first marketplace stalls went up centuries ago. And when visual marketing became the norm, retailers had to alter their showrooms and find appealing ways to show off their merchandise.
Pushing the retail industry to evolve into a true sensory experience, proprietors began displaying their wares in a manner that encourages shoppers to truly absorb products—rather than just get a passing glance in a static environment. And for much of retail history, framed glass cases were the go-to design and display choice for stores across an array of merchandise types.
The durability of the framed glass display case—or vitrine—was most likely the main reason retailers stuck with using them for so long. In fact, there’s a good chance the stores of your youth that are still in business are using the very same framed display cases that have housed their products for decades. And who can blame the retailers? There is definitely a level of comfort that comes with the reliability of these solid display pieces, which were built to hold fragile merchandise while enduring years upon years of being poked, bumped into, and leaned on by hundreds of handsy customers.
Then there’s the factor of sheer weight and how difficult it could be to move displays, as owners might be reluctant to swap out these often behemoth units once they’ve been installed.
But as most things in the modern world, the retail industry inevitably gave in to the natural progression toward technological advancements—and, you guessed it, these advancements include the display cases.
Out With The Old, In With The View
Over the last 10 years or so, frames have begun to disappear. First, it was minimalist frames that became the norm, offering a much better view of products than those older, clunkier showcases with thick frames. But that wasn’t the end of the disappearance of frames—not by a long shot. Glass fabrication and the skills associated with it have accelerated greatly, with technology getting display cases to the point where frames are no longer a necessity at all and the glass is strong enough to stand on its own. Frameless glass showcases are a major component of the retail revolution. Fabricated to give customers an unobstructed view of any number of in-store items, these display units are the ideal method of granting a 360-degree glimpse at a product that the retailer would rather keep safely behind glass.
Frameless Displays Equals Seamless Merchandise
Retail stores display everything from sports memorabilia and action figures to designer handbags and jewelry. And regardless of the product, it is in the best interest of the store owner for their customers to get an all-angle view of the contents of a display cabinet. When you use frameless glass displays—also known as a UV-bonded case—you convey a seamless presentation, and there is no better way to promote retail products.
UV bonding fits glass together in a way that gives the illusion of a perfectly cube-shaped piece of glass, when in reality it encompasses many different pieces of glass expertly melded together. The design features strong, durable connections without any metal or wood frames obstructing the viewer’s line of sight. This means that the item can be viewed from every angle—capturing the attention of shoppers and move them one step closer to making a purchase.
The Dillmeier Process
Dillmeier Glass’ range of skills, its reputation in the industry, communication prowess, and access to resources puts the company in the position of trendsetter. And this includes the efforts in frameless glass display cases.
With its expert fabricators, Dillmeier has perfected the process of UV bonding, whether that’s flat-edged glass or mitered glass edges for a high-end, clean look. The efforts bring a fresh look to retail stores, where atmosphere can often make a huge difference in purchase rates.
As glass retail display cases are major components of most stores, using cutting-edge strategies in how they are used to sell products is crucial to ensuring that customers keep visiting actual brick-and-mortar stores well into the next generation of retailers.
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