Dive Brief:

• Construction barricades outside a Kate Spade store in-progress in New Jersey do more than keep passersby safe from job-site mishaps. The interactive panels allow shoppers to buy the luxury brand’s high-end clothing, handbags, luggage, and bedding, even though there’s no store there yet.

• The “shoppable scaffolding” at Short Hills mall features touch screens that invite the curious to answer questions about their style preferences and input their contact information. Within seconds, the retailer texts a list of eight Kate Spade items to the customer’s mobile phone or tablet, with an offer for free, one-day shipping if she purchases any of them online.

• The chain, which has 80 U.S. stores and outlets, plans to put up a second digital storefront when it breaks ground on another new store in November, although it has not announced a location.

Dive Insight:

Jeremy Bergstein, founder of The Science Project, which partnered with Kate Spade on the interactive barricade, predicts optimizing every square foot of space to collect information or sell products will become the norm for buildings under construction. It will be telling to see Kate Spade starts a trend with the innovative idea.