E-commerce sites may have embraced the latest innovations in technology to enhance the shopping experience online, but many bricks and mortar stores are also following suit. Here are six ways that big brands are employing high-tech features in their high street stores.
1. Shopping hubs
Hubs in major stores such as M&S are becoming the latest must-have features for forward-thinking brands. Resembling an oversized iPad, the touch screen devices located at the hub provide product information, enable ordering or collection and payments.
2. Augmented reality
Customers who shop at American Apparel can download an app that promises to enhance the shopping experience through augmented reality. According to Live Science, augmented reality is using technology to superimpose information on the world we see. This futuristic technology means customers can browse product reviews and watch videos at the point of sale.
3. Virtual mannequins
If you’ve ever picked up a garment from a rail and wondered what it looked like on you, without having to find the nearest changing room, then virtual mannequins are the latest in-store offering. Once you’ve chosen your item, models reveal how the item appears on a virtual mannequin.
4. NFC shopping
Near field communication, or NFC, is a type of wireless data transfer that communicates with technology without needing an internet connection. One supermarket in France is already using this technology to make the shopping experience quicker, smarter and more automatic. Customers can use their smartphones to scan items, get information and pay.
5. The Complete Samsung Experience
Tech giant Samsung is already leading the way with its product innovations, but its flagship store in Singapore also offers a cutting-edge experience for shoppers. The store makes use of a digitised video wall that tracks and projects customers’ movements, as well as an app that works in conjunction with a coffee store. Themed zones are also part of the set-up. The use of in-store media, such as that offered by http://moodmedia.co.uk/in-store-media/, is starting to become big business with leading brands such as Samsung.
6. Scanned shopping
Some of the bigger supermarkets, such as Tesco, are embracing scannable shopping technology, where customers use a handset to scan items and add them to their trolley as they shop. It quickens the shopping process and lets you see how much you’re spending as you browse the aisles.