An article that outlines the elements of retail experience that technology can be applied to.

1. The Edge – The liminal aspect of the store – the threshold – the window and the door. How are people attracted and what can be done to capture their attention?
2. The Inside- The shop floor, interior design, lighting and audio. How can new technologies create a captivating environment for a new shopping experience?
3. The Flow – Movement within the store, what can be done to move people around the shelves and up and down stairs?
4. The Product - How to augment product information and presentation through tagging, cameras, RFID and other new technologies? How can new technologies embedded in the product itself become part of the retail interface and shopping experience?
5. Store Networking – How to use networking to connect stores with other stores in the same chain, and to online services like e-commerce?
6. Handheld Devices – How to offer the customer additional information and services via handheld devices – PDAs and cellphones – that they bring into the store with them?
7. Personal Contextualization: How to take the shopper previous experience into account in the present shopping experience (matching present offer with previous items bought). Sharing of shopping experiences with other stores selling different goods or even different brands of the same goods.
8. Social Retail: How to share the shop experience, as it takes place, with friends and people belonging to the shopper social network; how to embed the shop into one’s social network?
9. Once in, Always there – How to use the product sold as an active link with the buyer and the user to bring them back, virtually and physically to the store.

www.cisco.com/go/retail

Cisco showcases some future solutions on the retail management end.  Dependent on mobile devices.

• Clock in using a Cisco phone (found in each dept) directly connected to Manager’s phone. Has ability to lock clock-in times and to ask permission to extend clock-in times.
• Mobile personal assistant. New service pop up when near store (apps offered by the store). Could show discounts or have special offers. Get map on phone/pay from something from phone/etc.

An article giving examples of what could be in store for the future of retail. Here are the points made in the article:

1. Just about everyone will be connected at high speeds at all times
2. Video communications advances will make today’s office spaces almost extinct
3. Supply chain advances will make same-day delivery commonplace

Also gives examples of technologies that could be used:

• OLED
• WiMAX

BusinessWeek article about what retail should consider for the future. Here is the list of bullet points from the article:

1. The new generation of consumers contains a more tech-savvy and more diverse group that holds different values than its parents.
2. The one-size-fits-all approach of the mass chain store format will not be viable. Stores able to respond to individual tastes will become dominant.
3. “The belief that bigger is better will break down—aggregation of small will be the new big,” says the report. The new consumer will be more intent on quality than quantity. Mass production models will not succeed.
4. Ability to keep close contact with customers through mobile devices will be important to maintain quality of service and product as well as receive customer feedback.
5. The still large group of Baby Boomers will remain active in the economy. However, their demands will shift from goods to service and healthcare.
6. Retailers may also expand in developing economies such as India and China. These growing markets have much more room to expand along traditional modes than developed nations. However, American companies will be “late to the game,” says the report, and will need to compete with both European and local retailers.

SAP features a model of the future of retail as well as a merging of digital <-> reality interface. SecondLife store is directly connected to demo store’s, etc.

• RFID tagging
• Mobile payment
• Online store can be used as a management tool