It’s easy to hit a wall when it comes to trying to design a creative sunglass display case or a goggle display case. After all, there are limits to the number of shapes, sizes, and materials you can use when designing a display case for sunglasses. And, display cases in general tend to be fairly expensive so realistic budgets often play a role in limiting creativity. Today, we’ll look at more than 15 different sunglass display case designs with the hope of sparking some creativity in the eyewear category or in other high-value product categories that warrant a locking case.
Before we dive into some examples of a sunglasses showcase display, it’s worth covering a few basics. First, higher-end sunglasses are vulnerable to theft, which is one of the primary reasons they are most often found in a locking case. There are pros and cons to locking up expensive eyewear. The major benefit is theft prevention, but there is also an argument to be made for the increased perceived value of eyewear when it is locked up. The consumer is led to believe that the product must be expensive if the retailer bothers to lock it up. The downside of locking product up is it prevents the shopper from easily interacting with the product, and it can create an inconvenience for the shopper who is now dependent on a store clerk opening up the case. Some shoppers can feel awkward or rushed in trying on several pairs of sunglasses with the store clerk hovering over them waiting for them to make a purchase decision. It’s pretty clear that locking cases drive fewer impulse sales, but it’s not clear if the decline in sales is more than offset by the reduction in theft.
With that as background, let’s take a look at more than 15 examples of sunglass display cases.
1. Chanel 8-SKU Floor Glorifier- This MDF/clear acrylic display was designed as a locking case with 8 glorifier shelves, inside LED lighting, and a back-lit Chanel logo. We modified the same basic design for two different Dior versions and a Salvatore Ferragamo display.
2. 9-Five- We designed the locking case floor display shown below to look like a video arcade to capture the teen and early 20’s target customer. The display featured MDF construction, an LED back panel, glass shelves, an LED back-lit header, real coin slots, locking storage, and a joystick. We also designed a counter version shown below the floor version.
3. Michael Kors Floor Display- We designed this 6-shelf floor display to have glass shelves to showcase eyewear with product storage under each shelf. The design included white sheet metal construction, MDF with a wood laminate, and laser-cut 3D logo letters.
4. Tifosi Locking Floor Display Case- The Tifosi case shown below featured an acrylic case with 3 adjustable shelves, an MDF base with locking storage, a large angled mirror, and an acrylic header with Tifosi branding.
5. 180s Locking Counter Display- The two pictures below show the 6-shelf locking counter display we designed and fabricated for 180s. The display includes a black acrylic base, a clear acrylic case with 6 circular shelves, and a center acrylic pole. We created a spinning feature by adding a cut-out and a wheel so the shopper could control the rotation of the inside shelves.
6. Island Company Counter Sunglass Case- This is a simple counter display case constructed out of white painted MDF with screen printed branding. We added a bearing under the base to make it a spinner and used clear acrylic to create the window to view the sunglasses.
7. Epokhe- The counter display below is not our design, but it is one we admire. It’s made out of reclaimed wood and has a cool vibe, particularly for surf shops and boutiques.
8. O’Neill- This locking floor display is pretty similar to a number of the locking cases you might find in a surf shop in Southern California. We designed it with simplicity in mind- riveted sheet metal construction, glass shelves, locking storage compartment, screen printing branding, and LED puck lighting.
9. Oakley Locking Floor Sunglass Display Case- This 4-shelf Oakley display case has a cool sheet metal construction with 3D acrylic letters, locking storage, tempered glass construction, and cool shelf glorifier stands.
10. Coach Floor Sunglass Display Case- This 4-sided, 9-shelf display is simple in its design and construction. The main display case can be used as a counter display or as a floor display with the addition of the branded MDF pedestal.
11. Arnette Counter Case Display- We designed the counter display case shown below as a part of some out-of-box thinking. It’s definitely different than other display cases you see out in the market. The display is constructed of gold powder coated metal tubing and includes a locking acrylic case with distinctive laser-cut Arnette branding.
12. Arnette 2-Tiered Locking Sunglass Display Case- Speaking of different, this double-decker display case was designed out of sheet metal with a crazy vinyl wrap, glass shelves, and metal rivets.
13. Arnette Floor Sunglass Display Case- For another walk on the wild side, we designed the Arnette locking case shown below. It is designed using a vinyl-wrapped sheet metal structure with solid wood header, wood storage chest, and wood case components. We added a main laser-cut acrylic logo and screen printed logo graphics. It would be hard to miss this display in a retail store.
14. Arnette Locking Counter Case Display- Simple in its construction, this 3-shelf counter display case, is constructed of clear acrylic and MDF. We added vinyl graphics on the header, base, and back panel and included LED down lighting in the header along with the laser-cut 3D logo.
15. Glass Display Case with Solid Wood Base- The last example shown below is one we saw and thought it would work for certain retail environments. It’s pretty simple, but the combination of the glass case and solid wood base provide an interesting combination and make for a fairly unique sunglass display case. A little added branding could help make this an even more effective sunglass display box.
Jim Hollen is the owner and President of RICH LTD. (www.richltd.com), a 35+ year-old California-based point-of-purchase display, retail store fixture, and merchandising solutions firm which has been named among the Top 50 U.S. POP display companies for 9 consecutive years. A former management consultant with McKinsey & Co. and graduate of Stanford Business School, Jim Hollen has served more than 3000 brands and retailers over more than 20 years and has authored nearly 500 blogs and e-Books on a wide range of topics related to POP displays, store fixtures, and retail merchandising.
Jim has been to China more than 50 times and has worked directly with more than 30 factories in Asia across a broad range of material categories, including metal, wood, acrylic, injection molded and vacuum formed plastic, corrugated, glass, LED lighting, digital media player, and more. Jim Hollen also oversees RICH LTD.’s domestic manufacturing operation and has experience manufacturing, sourcing, and importing from numerous Asian countries as well as Vietnam and Mexico.
His experience working with brands and retailers spans more than 25 industries such as food and beverage, apparel, consumer electronics, cosmetics/beauty, sporting goods, automotive, pet, gifts and souvenirs, toys, wine and spirits, home improvement, jewelry, eyewear, footwear, consumer products, mass market retail, specialty retail, convenience stores, and numerous other product/retailer categories.