Los Angeles–based clothing and accessories brand Fred Segal recently installed a different kind of store window: It can, literally, be shopped, changing forever the definition of “window-shopping.”

In April, its flagship store on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, Calif., will host “Rock ‘n’ Roll Holy Land,” an exhibit that will give a history of music on the Sunset Strip. Among the items on display: vintage relics, photographs, neon signs, and a replica 50-foot-long tour bus.

As part of the exhibit, MadeWorn is introducing merchandise tied in with famed Sunset Strip artists like Gene Simmons of Kiss, Phil Collen of Def Leppard, and B-Real and Sen Dog of Cypress Hill.

But shoppers who can’t make the exhibit during store hours can still pick up an item or two due to an innovation Fred Segal is spearheading with Mastercard: digital storefront windows.

If shoppers like a piece of merchandise they see in the window, they can place those items in a shopping cart and then make a purchase from their phone using a link that is sent to them via text message. The items will then be shipped to the shopper’s home address.

“Fred Segal is a retailer known for offering its customers an innovative and differentiated shopping experience,” said Sherri Haymond, executive vice president, Mastercard digital partnerships, in a statement. “It makes them an ideal collaborator to bring to life the latest in experiential retail technology, like our shoppable storefront windows.

She added: “Today, people want to step into a store and do more than just shop; they want it to be a destination that seamlessly blends the digital technology that is a core part of their day-to-day life with their physical environment.”

“Rock ‘n’ Roll Holy Land” will be open April 11 through May 6.

Fred Segal is currently owned by Evolution Media Capital, an investment banking firm.

(Image courtesy of Mastercard)

Rob Bates

JCK News Director