Shaftesbury / Netflix

Project features

  • Contactless Donation
  • Charity
  • Data Systems
  • Smart Devices
  • Web Applications

Interactive shop window and donation point in the heart of Chinatown

Due to Covid-19 restrictions causing a reduction in footfall in city centres, interactive and dynamic shop window installations have become important.

Solder was given a brief by Shaftesbury to create an engaging installation in Chinatown. We created an interactive shop window that allowed users to send virtual Chinese lanterns to loved ones or those they missed during lockdown. Messages are submitted through a mobile-optimised website and are then displayed on a lantern in the shop window.

The project was adapted to include promotional material from the animation 'Over the Moon' and donation points to raise money for organizations affected by the pandemic.

Project details

With Covid-19 restrictions causing a reduction in footfall throughout our towns and city centres, it is even more important that businesses offer interactive and dynamic shop window installations. Using brand stories to create a cohesive message will help to build followers among target audiences, as well as a sense of community and togetherness that can combat social anxieties during the coronavirus pandemic.

Our brief from Shaftesbury, one of London’s largest property owners, was to create an engaging installation that would generate positivity and excitement within Chinatown. We wanted to maximise and adapt technology to create a sense of warmth and human interaction whilst supporting Covid-19 restrictions. An interactive shop window enabled users to share messages of hope and love in virtual lanterns - creating unity with distant loved ones.

We built the interactive shop window in August 2020, drawing Shaftesbury’s target audience to a pre-event social media campaign. A mobile app allowed users to send a virtual Chinese lantern to a loved one, or someone they had missed during lockdown. As well as displaying the lantern in the shop window, the app gave options to attach a message, image and name, with links for WhatsApp, Email, Facebook or Twitter helping to share the lantern with chosen recipients.

This is a project that was further adapted to answer a brief from Shaftesbury and Netflix, to combine the lanterns with promotional material from the epic animation ‘Over The Moon’, with donation points added to raise money for organisations affected by the pandemic. This proved the technology’s potential, suiting a multitude of different events throughout the year.

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