It doesn’t seem so long ago that we were talking about how technology will unquestionably be one of the key retail developments, with digitisation continuing to infiltrate our shopping habits and experiences. Fast forward to today and this statement could not be any more true!
Many retailers are now embracing ‘Smart’ technologies to improve the in-store experience in areas such as lighting and sales transactions.
With exciting developments in VR and AR, retailers are now implementing this as another tool to draw in and retain customers while they’ll continue to prioritise convenience, with many prefer to shop online from the comfort of their own home.
Retailers are introducing new and exciting ways to entice foot fall into their stores. To do this, retailers must grow and adapt to the ever changing market due to technological advances.
More recently we’ve taken a look at how Augmented reality has started to become a normal occurrence within retail stores, as well as what some retailers are doing, and how.
Selfridges, London
Major luxury retailer, Selfridges have recently collaborated with Digital Artist Jon Emmony. The artist created a futuristic augmented reality artwork within the Selfridges flagship store in London called Digital Falls.
Members of the public were invited to download the Digital Falls app and explore the physical artwork for themselves across the different levels of the atrium.
This is not only a great way to get customers involved, but the general public too. Many people are intrigued by augmented reality, and the fact that this was reachable by using a smartphone meant anyone could experience the digital art.
On their page dedicated to the talented artist, they explain that “Digital Falls reimagines the five-storey atrium space at Selfridges London as a column of water, filled with bioluminescent sea creature-like sculptures, pulsing with electrical signals that visualise the digital conversations and ideas that surround us day-to-day.”
The artwork encourages exploration and discovery, taking the user on a physical tour as different levels of the atrium provide different views and perspectives.
Natuzzi
Just recently, Italian furniture retailer, Natuzzi has embarked on what it calls “a new era of advanced, white-glove customer service” by launching a virtual-reality shopping experience.
The brand’s Augmented Store is part of its New York City Madison Avenue showroom.
It enables customers to enter a digitally rendered version of their own home in virtual reality and decorate it with Natuzzi pieces.
Customers wear Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 headset to interact with the environment, move products around, and change patterns and colours. They can also wear headsets in the comfort of their own home to see what Natuzzui’s furniture pieces would look like laid out in their own space, which will undoubtedly be extremely appealing to their customers.
Natuzzi worked with Microsoft and its mixed-reality partner Hevolus Innovation to develop the Augmented Store.
