Future Shopping
Shoppers are looking at the new technology that’s coming to stores. The National Retail Federation’s Expo in New York is demonstrating what the new customer experience will be in the future.
“You can change makeup without actually applying,” Salvador Nissi Vilcovksy, founder and CEO of Memoni Labs, said.
A digital mirror is giving makeup shoppers a makeover. Vilcovsky said the virtual memory mirror also records a makeup artist’s application and sends it to your phone, giving you a take-home tutorial. This product is already in Neiman Marcus stores.
Smart Shelves, already in some Walmart stores, have LED screens that highlight the preferences of repeat customers.
Shopping carts may also soon be updated with a fancy focal tablet. It keeps a running tally of the cost as you toss in your items and flags good deals.
“If you’re in the beer aisle, it will show you only deals that are for beer. And if you’re in the shampoo aisle, it will show you all the deals for shampoo,” explains Francois Chaubard, CEO of Focal Systems.
Chaubard said the tablet, which is hitting a few stores this summer, also works as a grocery store GPS, allowing you to search for an item and the tablet will provide a map to the searched item.
No more waiting in the checkout lines: The idea is to have roaming cashiers check your cart and swipe your credit card in just a few seconds.