RETAIL FUTURES

The last year has been a dismal year for the retail sector and no-one needs reminding that it has accelerated new consumer behaviour, online consumption and a new digital relationship between consumers and brands.

Some brands are reponding rapidly to this shift.

A.I. the metaverse, XR, E-persuasion are some of the tools, brands are utilising in the online space but there is also hybrid tech such as phygital spaces, digital changing rooms and post office changing rooms such as the new Finnish postal service which are mixing the physical and the digital.

SK11 has launched what is calling the ‘store of the future.’

The store concept relies on ‘phygital’ retail experiences that incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to take shoppers on a digital in-store journey, beginning with a reading of their facial expressions and movements at a large-scale digital wall called ‘The Art of You.’ The wall generates different energy lines and colours with every facial movement or twitch, creating a unique artistic image for each user.

Next up is a revamped version of the brand’s signature ‘Magic Ring’ skin analysis, which, unlike regular facial analysis, is carried out digitally and remotely by an interactive screen that scans the face and displays the results. A ‘Smart Beauty Bar’ offers advice and personalized product browsing, while a projection mapping table that tracks hand motions allows shoppers to add goods to their digital carts with a wave.