5 new technologies that may change how you shop
The retail industry descended on New York last week for the National Retail Federation’s Big Show, a trade event where vendors showed off the innovative offerings that they hope will soon become commonplace in malls across the globe. Some innovations are in use at chain stores, and they could change the way you shop. Here’s a roundup.
Toshiba TCx Amplify
Self-checkout enabler
This app enables you do to do self-checkout at the grocery store using your smartphone. Scan your items as you put them in your cart and once you’re finished shopping, you simply wave your phone in front of a computer. You can then pay using a credit card or a digital wallet such as Apple Pay.
Intel MemoMi Memory Mirror
Saving try-on time
Intel’s smart mirror, in use at Neiman Marcus stores, allows shoppers to use hand gestures to change the color of their outfit on screen and can even compare two looks side-by-side using a smart mirror.
Panasonic Powershelf
Keeping stock on the shelves
The Panasonic Powershelf indirectly helps retailers reduce their out-of-stocks. A weight-sensitive mat is placed on a shelf. When a shopper lifts the last item off the shelf, a store employee instantly gets a text message notifying him or her of the exact product that needs to be restocked. Powershelf also includes digital price tags, which allow the retailer to change their prices on the fly. Powershelf is in use at 40 Whole Foods Markets.
Shelfbucks
Extra content for game shoppers
Customers with the Gamestop app can hold their phone over the beacon device on the shelf and get access to a range of product reviews and other details about the game. As the signage specifies, customers can also get access to discounts on that item.
fast-food self-ordering kiosk
Skipping the sales associate
At first glance, this Microsoft technology may seem a little frivolous: Is it really that inconvenient to order a burger from a human being at a fast-food restaurant? Is this really solving a problem for the customer — or the retailer, for that matter?
But Microsoft says its average check size is up in those restaurants as some 40 percent of kiosk users accept an up-sell option, such as “Would you like to round your amount to $20for a chocolate-chip cookie?”
By Sarah Halzack, The Washington Post
