Blog

Discover inspiration and stay ahead of the curve with insights on cutting-edge retail trends, upcoming products and market news, all in one place.​​

NARS trade show booth with branded displays, lipsticks, makeup posters, chairs, and a round table. Text on right reads “Case Study NARS Trade Show Booth.” Bright, professional event setting.
Trade Show
Arash Ejtemaee

Case Study: NARS

Old Phones, New Guts: How Four Vintage Telephones Stole the Show at the NARS Booth Most trade show briefs sound simple until you start building them. “Can you make old telephones interactive?” is one of those briefs. It sounds straightforward.

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A stylish older person holding shopping bags and a credit card stands in front of bold text: “Boomers, the wildcard retail keeps getting wrong.” The background is bright orange with the shomi! logo.
Retail Trends
Shadi Desjardins

Boomers: The Wildcard Retail Keeps Getting Wrong

TL;DR: Baby boomers hold roughly half of Canada’s household wealth, are the most brand-loyal generation shopping today, and prefer shopping in-store more than any other generation, yet most retail environments are still lit, signed, and staffed as if this shopper

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Two dogs sit under a blue Maytag hair dryer in a stylish salon. Text on the right reads: Maytag Salondromat Case Study, showcasing an innovative Maytag Case Study, with the shomi! logo at the bottom.
Trade Show
Arash Ejtemaee

Maytag Case Study

How do you build one photo op that works for a chihuahua and a great dane? Project at a glance Client: MaytagAgency: prspktvMEDIAEvent: Canadian Pet ExpoFootprint: 10′ x 20′ trade show booth Objective: Launch a pet-focused washer and dryer, engineered

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Yellow background with large text reading GEN X THE FORGOTTEN GENERATION. A hand holding Canadian money, highlighting gen x retail spending, forms the letter X in GEN X. The shomi! logo appears in the bottom right corner.
Retail Trends
Shadi Desjardins

Gen x: The Forgotten Generation

Gen X grew up as the original latchkey generation: letting themselves in after school, microwaving something questionable for dinner, and generally being trusted to handle it. Forty years later, retail is still leaving them to fend for themselves. The only

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Large white text over a blurred makeup retail display reads: PERMANENT VS SEMI-PERMANENT RETAIL DISPLAYS – HOW TO DECIDE BASED ON LIFECYCLE, NOT JUST BUDGET. A woman applies lipstick on a screen in the background, highlighting permanent vs semi-permanent retail displays.
Retail Displays
Roy Reedon

Permanent vs Semi-Permanent Retail Displays

How to decide based on lifecycle, not just budget The best display decision isn’t permanent vs semi-permanent. It’s whether the build matches the intended lifespan. Define that first, and the rest of the spec, including budget, tends to clarify itself.

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An orange graphic with black and white text reads, “What is SEG and other FAQ. All about silicone edge graphics.” A hand pulls fabric with a silicone edge from a frame, showing how seg tension fabric displays work; a dog’s face is in the background.
Informative
the shomi team

SEG Fabric Displays – FAQ

What is SEG and other FAQ Silicone Edge Graphics (SEG) shows up in almost every retail, trade show, and event environment we work in. Most clients haven’t been told how the format actually works until they’re mid-project. These are the

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Black and white image of a man working in a factory or workshop with text overlaid: “Designing for production, not just approval.” Highlighting the importance of designing for production. The shömi logo appears in the bottom right corner.
Fabrication
Arash Ejtemaee

Designing for Production, Not Just Approval

How to prevent beautiful ideas from becoming expensive problems Most project problems aren’t design problems. They’re sequencing problems. When production thinking enters a project after approval instead of before it, the cost of every mistake multiplies. This article covers the

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A hand holds a small shopping cart against an orange background with bold black and white text: THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT BUT WHICH ONE? Highlighting how millennials and Gen Z shop differently, the shomi! logo appears in the lower right corner.
Informative
Shadi Desjardins

The Customer Is Always Right — But Which One?

How Millennials and Gen Z Shop Differently — and What That Means for Your Store Design​ There’s a moment every retailer eventually has, standing in their own store, watching two shoppers side by side and realizing they’re not actually shopping

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