On October 7, during the E-Retail Week 2025 Forum, the World Trade Center hosted an awards ceremony for the winners of a student contest dedicated to the use of AR technologies in the Charmstore women's clothing store.
This was our latest initiative to organize student contests in the field of retail space design, supported by the Russian Association of Retail Market Experts (RAERR).
Vladimir Itkin, the founder of VIRTU and the author of the idea for the contest, shared his opinion to hold it:
"For many years, we've been organizing contests for future designers. Previously, their format was based on classical design trends. However, there's always been a desire to engage young professionals in solving modern objectives based on digital technologies and the use of artificial intelligence. This year, we responded to the latest industrial trends, and the Russian Association of Retail Market Experts (RAERR) became our partner in this endeavor, supporting our initiative".
Now we can confidently say that the first experience was a success: 22 projects of 35 students participated in were accepted for the contest.
Maria Miskimova and Elizaveta Sobyanina from the Stroganov Russian State University of Art and Industry proposed a concept in which a program helps shoppers take the perfect photo in their chosen outfit, for which they received the "BEST SOCIAL MEDIA PROJECT" award.
Sofia Filippova and Yulia Malysheva from the Stroganov Russian State University of Art and Industry discovered a way to increase customer confidence and satisfaction by identifying a woman's body type and then selecting clothing based on that information. They received the "MOST EFFECTIVE PROJECT" award.
RANEPA students surprised everyone with their innovative approach to the shopping process, proposing to engage men in a game while waiting where they could earn bonuses for a future purchase. The result was the well-deserved "MOST UNCONVENTIONAL IDEA" prize for the project, elaborated by a team of eight: Nadezhda Maksimova, Veronika Toletova, Maria Filatova, Alisa Piletskaya, Alisa Babanina, Lilia Merkuryeva, Egor Kuznetsov, and Kirill Khitrov.
Ekaterina Agapova's project "Sixth Sense Store" from Kosygin Russian State University creates an unforgettable shopping experience, where the store responds to the customers and shapes their personal aura. This work won the "MOST EMOTIONAL IDEA" prize.
Elvira Rebdeu from the Kosygin Russian State University proposed turning every shopping trip into an interactive performance and won the "GENERATION NEXT STORE" prize.
Ekaterina Khamazina from the Kosygin Russian State University believes there's no point in waiting for customers to enter a store, so she focused her project on a window case that could change the route of those passing by. The project won the "EFFECTIVE WINDOW CASE" award.
The RAERR Association created a unique festive atmosphere with its entertainment program during the awards ceremony. We thank the organizing team for their support of our initiative. The results of the contest can also be found in the E-Retail Week 2025 Forum news section.
This year, it became a tradition to present the "BLUE OCEAN" prizes to the winners of student contests. The concept was conceived by VIRTU President Vladimir Itkin, and the branding was elaborated by Sergey Redin, head of the REDIN branding agency.