Technology that’s changing the retail sector — Retail Technology Innovation Hub
The retail sector is continually changing, but these changes are so incremental and integrated that you might not have noticed.
There is far less cash in retail nowadays, and automated systems are becoming more commonplace - but retail technology doesn’t intend to stop there.
Internet of Things
The Internet of Things (IoT) is growing year upon year as new technology and innovation emerge. The IoT is a system of interconnected devices that creates holistic technologies in a home or business. For instance, personal updates are received by interacting with the area.
In relation to the retail sector, the IoT has much to offer. As with the domestic sphere, data can be gathered about individuals in the area and processes to provide them with a more granular customer experience. One example is Bluetooth Low Energy, which connects with smartphones.
Facial recognition
Although it might sound somewhat Orwellian at first, facial recognition in the retail sector is growing in popularity. As with online advertising, customers can receive a better service and faster shopping experience when the store knows more about their personality and habits.
Customers use their smartphones to tell the store more about their history with the retailer; this information can then be used to help staff respond to customers’ needs and offer products they want, cutting down on browsing time and optimizing the ways people spend their money.
Lifting gear
Every retailer has a storeroom of some kind, and if it’s an online store, it probably has a warehouse to keep its stock in. These spaces don’t require the same degree of decoration and cleanliness as the shop floor; instead, they have an entirely different set of quality standards.
In the storeroom and the warehouse, there’s a need for quality control and safety infrastructure. Every store uses lifting equipment which is why they need a reliable Lifting Gear Supplier. It’s a good idea to buy all your lifting gear from a single supplier for safety and maintenance reasons.
Autonomous assistants
Robots are on the way!
Of course, this means that traditional store assistants will have to find alternative employment, but perhaps the utopian vision of a shorter working week with better salaries can be a realistic possibility after all. Robots can be the answer to menial retail tasks.
Picture this, you walk into your favourite store, and you’re greeted by a personal robot assistant that can direct you to the items on your priority list.
This robot can also make payments, and if you have a question it can’t answer, no problem, it simply directs you to a human assistant.
Augmented reality
Again, augmented reality is something we are more familiar with from science fiction.
Picture a scene when someone goes to a store and, instead of taking items to the changing rooms to try them on, simply swipes their smartphone, and the garment appears on them using AR systems.
There are plenty of advantages to using AR in retail, including more efficiency and better health and safety measures.
AR technology has the potential to revolutionise the fashion retail industry and create more online engagement and brand integration with options to share styles online.
Gloss