Tech Trends

TECH TRENDS Consumer usage of technology such as smartphones is changing brand marketing and retail design needs. A recent study finds that social media can increase retail sales, and retailers are placing more value on in-store technology. While only 12% of retailers surveyed have mobile apps, savvy retailers are applying emerging technologies in the in-store environment. An A.R.E. DREAM Team analysis of emerging in-store technologies was featured in Retail Environments magazine. Here's a taste of what's now.

With reality TV and social networking fueling consumer demand for the limelight, retailers are playing to that appeal with features that make the shopper the star ... even if just momentarily.

Interactive catalogs are being combined with augmented reality to help shoppers find products that interest them. Some, such as Macy's Magic Fitting Room, even add a social media element.

Via a variety of methods, retailers are allowing consumers to pay for goods and services using mobile devices. While this may bring more self-checkouts in future, several retailers are starting to remove existing self-checkouts, whose execution failed to deliver. Even without mobile payment, paperless receipts are catching on.

 

Interactive catalogs can incorporate off-site inventory.

The Retail Environments article "The Future Is Now" cites additional videos for:

An M&M QR code showing how customizable the technology is.

Thin flexible OLED film that promises new possibilities for animated wallpaper.

See how Hot Topic incorporates technology in its Santa Monica store.

Gesture recognition, touchscreen technologies and creative combinations of the physical and digital world are enabling windows that engage passersby.

Experiments in using body and face scanning technologies to suggest personalized product lists have emerged.

Nominated for a 2012 Design of the Year in the digital category, this project will be on exhibition at the Design Museum in London, Feb. 8-July 15, 2012.