W

inshang

Introduction

Cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, AR/VR, blockchain and other new-generation information technologies are rewriting the course of the retail business era, and more and more retailers are realizing the importance of technology to business and are actively participating in digital transformation.

Source | Business & Real Estate (ID: commercialproperty)

Author | Owl Research Institute

Once upon a time, the rise of online shopping had a huge impact on the brick-and-mortar economy because it capitalized on consumers' desire for convenience: the ability to make purchases without leaving home.

Nowadays, the integration of e-commerce and the physical economy has become inevitable and necessary, as consumers are equally hungry for authentic and novel experiences based on convenience.

For retailers, the time has come to refine the way they reach consumers.

And technology is behind the acceleration of this change.

Providing more convenience for shoppers, enhancing the experience, and promoting the scale of retailers' online businesses ...... Retail technology has become a top priority for all kinds of retail brands to compete for the water, actively explore, and lay out the future of the track in the hope that this will further empower their retail formats.

After all, the new generation of consumers just like to try these new, flexible, creative products and experiences.

To that end, let's take a look at what retailers have been up to in terms of tech innovation over the past few years.

01

Boxmart's delivery robots

In 2016, e-commerce giant Alibaba opened its first Boxmart in China. Boxmart's vision was to integrate a seamless experience for both online and offline shopping.

The biggest difference with traditional retail is that Boxmart uses technologies such as big data, mobile Internet, intelligent Internet of Things, automation, and advanced equipment to achieve the optimal match between people, goods, and the field, and Boxmart has its own complete logistics system from supply chain, warehousing, to distribution.

At the 2019 Chengdu Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fair exhibition held on June 10, Box Horse first showed the self-developed food delivery robot system.

At present, the system has been put into operation in the Shanghai Nanxiang store, which can implement efficient delivery on the running track with limited area.

Consumers through the app order settlement, arrive at the dining area only need to sweep the transmission area of the two-dimensional code, a semi-circular robot will be in accordance with the instructions, through the conveyor belt will be sent to the consumer in front of the consumer, the consumer to take down the dishes, the robot will be in accordance with the original track back to the pick-up area, the fastest transmission of food up to 40 seconds, basically to realize the food in 30 minutes, greatly reducing the cost of labor, and shorten the time of the meal. The robot will return to the pickup area in accordance with the original track.

02

Jingdong's AI Super Glasses

Jingdong, also a domestic e-commerce giant, has continued to increase its investment in technology. in 2018, its investment in technology research and development reached 12.1 billion yuan, an increase of 82.6% year-on-year.

Recently, Jingdong eco-partner Symphony Technology, based on the image recognition and other AI capabilities provided by Jingdong's AI open platform NeuHub, launched a "Super Glasses", which is used in the form of smart wearable devices for intelligent shopping guides, smart inventory, and smart store inspections in the store, which can help reduce the cost of offline retailing,

Titanium alloy

Titanium alloy frame is very lightweight (weighing only 39g), ultra-low power consumption (only 1.6W), adapted to the side of the face, blocking, blurring, and other practical environments, and can be 40-inch virtual screen (FOV 21 °), support for 1080P high-definition video streaming, to achieve milliseconds level recognition.

In the future retail scenario, the store clerk can instantly understand the customer's membership information, user profile, shopping tendency and other important information in front of him through the "Super Glasses", realizing the information visualization of the intelligent shopping guide, and comprehensively realizing the "know what he wants, and cast what he likes". "The first step is to make sure that you have a good understanding of what you are looking for.

In addition, the super glasses can also be used for yardage scenarios, to help shopkeepers understand SKU sales, inventory information; or in the sorting scenario, to realize the spatial positioning of goods, to achieve the improvement of supply chain efficiency.

03

Kroger's digital price labeling

In 2018, Kroger, a US food chain, rolled out digital price labeling technology in hundreds of stores. Called "Kroger Edge," the technology displays the price and nutritional content of an item, allowing stores to instantly and remotely update the price and nutritional information of an item.Kroger also announced plans to use the technology on smartphones.

04

Ted Baker's Interactive Windows

Store windows are often used to grab customers' attention, but Ted Beker went one step ahead back in 2017 by adding interactivity to window design.

Ted Baker partnered with Nexus Studios to promote its "Keeping Up with Baker" campaign by placing interactive windows in the Regent Street store, encouraging shoppers to place their hands on the windows, triggering a camera to capture their faces (with a beeping sound). Ted Baker encouraged shoppers to place their hands on the window, triggering the camera to take a picture of their face (accompanied by a beeping sound); the image was then put on 'Keeping up with the Bakers' and ****ed on social media. The store is also offering up to ￡1,000 in store vouchers as prizes, which participants can enter into a prize draw.

As well as encouraging passers-by to enter the store, the technology subtly increased interest in Ted Baker's marketing ideas, making it a true omni-channel campaign.

05

Topshop's virtual water slide

Topshop turned the windows of its Oxford Street flagship store into an interactive pool in 2017. Consumers can put on an Oculus Rift headset and experience a 360-degree ride on a virtual water slide, twisting and turning over the crowd.

As boring as it sounds, there are reports that the tech-led campaign did have an impact on sales. Elmwood, the digital agency behind it, said swimwear sales were up 100% compared to the same period last year.

06

Specsavers' frame style tool

Choosing eyewear can be a long and exhausting experience, with customers potentially trying on dozens of pairs of glasses before they find the right fit for them.In 2018, the UK's largest eyewear chain, Specsavers, launched a new in-store service, Frame Styler, to make the shopping process simpler.

Frame Styler, an imaging software, generates a 3D model of a customer's face from an in-store tablet to match the glasses that best suit the customer's face shape, gender and age. Customers can try on multiple styles in the 3D model and compare them quickly and easily in seconds. This technology greatly simplifies the shopping process and speeds up the shopping experience.

07

Nike's Speed Shop

In 2018, Nike opened a flagship store in New York City called "Nike House of Innovation 000". As the name suggests, it contains digital elements that create an immersive and convenient shopping experience for consumers.

The flagship store*** has six floors, and in addition to a customization studio and instant checkout, the "Speed Shop" is a standout feature. Customers can reserve shoes online, a locker with the customer's name will be provided with the reserved shoes, and the locker can be unlocked with a smartphone to try them on in the store. If customers need to buy, they can pay directly by cell phone without talking to anyone, let alone standing in line to check out. The Nike flagship store is designed to maximize convenience shopping.

08

Amazon Go's automated checkout

Amazon has revolutionized the experience of shopping online, but now the brand intends to get a piece of the brick-and-mortar retail pie, too.

Amazon Go, on the other hand, automates the payment and checkout process using a combination of computer vision, deep learning, and sensor fusion technologies. This means that the entire process of a customer entering a store, picking up something, and leaving is fully automated, with no need to wait in line and automatic payment through the Amazon Go App. There are currently nine Amazon Go stores operating in the United States, which will reportedly add up to thousands globally by 2020.

09

Zara's self-checkout

While self-checkout is already standard in supermarkets, the technology is still very much a laggard in the fashion retail industry. This is due in large part to the fact that anti-theft magnetic closures on clothing can complicate the self-checkout process.

However, when Zara introduced self-checkout in 2018, it proved to be a very worthwhile addition to the technology in apparel retail. Now, customers can skip Zara's famously long checkout lines and use its easy self-checkout system.

10

Target's Mobile Wallet

In 2017, Target launched a mobile wallet designed to make the process of paying and checking out faster and easier. Interestingly, the retailer says that checking out through the mobile wallet in the Target App is four times faster than regular payment methods. Users can pay with a Target REDcard or credit card, and can also use discounts when paying.

As the number of users shopping with apps continues to grow, this technology can be a great way to meet consumer expectations and increase user loyalty.

11

Audi VR Showroom

Instead of starting at a 4S store, consumers nowadays typically start their car purchases with research on websites, social media, and car forums.

In 2017, Audi launched a VR experience in its global showrooms to provide a more personalized shopping experience. Consumers can use the VR experience to select their car's configuration, as well as feel the details of the car's interior and exterior accessories in the showroom. The experience also includes special "Audi moments," such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where users can witness the atmosphere of a pit stop.

With VR technology, Audi is able to offer consumers a dynamic and interactive buying experience, moving the process from a digital tablet to a more immersive product.

12

Sephora's beauty centers

Sephora is known for its online strategy, but it's also committed to integrating digital technology across all customer touchpoints. in 2017, Sephora launched several "connected stores" in France " equipped with innovative technology.

A key part of this is the "beauty center", which includes a virtual product gallery as well as the brand's virtual stylist service. The virtual stylist can "virtualize" makeup trials to test different cosmetics (without actually applying the product). As a result, Sephora associates are able to provide consumers with a more specialized and targeted experience, thanks to technology and personal expertise.

Conclusion

In order to cater to the escalating consumer demand in the digital age, more and more retailers have realized the importance of new-generation information technologies such as cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, AR/VR, blockchain, and so on.

Among these emerging technologies, cloud computing, big data, etc. have been relatively mature and widely used in retail commerce; in contrast, technologies such as AR/VR, RFID/NFC, etc. have been limited in popularity due to high network demand, but with the arrival of the 5G era, it is believed that these technologies will be able to be applied in retail scenarios as well.

This article is reprinted with permission, the text and images are copyrighted by the original author

Reprints, submissions, breaking news, negotiate cooperation

Contact me: winshangxb