Making it Rain Retail Displays

This creation would be one of Dr. Martens most immersive retail displays to date, with the space featuring reactive digital floors and screens, infinity mirrors, suspended boots, and surround-sound rainfall – because when it rains, it pours. This immersive booth will allow customers to step inside and test the product in an environment designed to simulate the weather it was built to withstand.

To craft this sensory display, our team began with the creative concepts delivered by syn. and translated them into intricate CAD drawings. Utilising the latest CAD software, our engineers were able to construct bespoke 3D models prototyping the possible routes the displays could take form, which were shared with the client before the full build commenced.

The interactive nature of the display demanded more than a flat graphic — it called for a fully realised 3D structure, seamlessly blending digital elements to transport shoppers into the heart of a classic English rainy Sunday. As this display needed to be structurally sound, the shell of the display was built from steel clad with MDF, to which mirror acrylic was clad on top. This was especially difficult, as it required no visible fixings that would ruin the illusion. This structure was built by our in-house experts utilising CNC machining and metal work skills. To make the rain boots the focal point of this display, the ‘window’ encompassed floating shelves featuring the various colourways of the boots.

Overlayed on top of the mirror acrylic was a PVC-free vinyl that featured 3D raindrops. These were printed directly onto 30 square metres of PVC-free vinyl using our swissQprint Nyala 4 flatbed printer and layered gloss ink, to give a lifelike look of rain droplets on a window.

The display incorporated a range of sensory and interactive elements, all brought to life through digital technology seamlessly woven into the brand activation booth. The space invites customers to try on the rain boot and see themselves in 360-degree mirrors ‘drenched’ in raindrops. The main floor was fully digital with sensors embedded, so as soon as shoppers step onto the display a ripple effect emulating a puddle (or a Rihanna video) will appear on the floor and follow their steps. This is accompanied by a motion sensor that when triggered plays raindrop sounds to give a fully immersive experience.

The creation of this dramatic, immersive display spanned six weeks, four weeks pre-build at our facility and then two weeks in-store. But for a project this complex, it had to be a team effort. The team members who worked through the complexities of this project, come rain or shine included:
Matty Bullough – CAD Engineering
Sam Pratt - Production
Dean Sharp - Production
David Griffin - Production
Ross Catterick - Production
Abbie Hignett – Project Management