Imagine a store that knows what you want before you do. The store layout could be changed according to your needs, so you would no longer spend time searching through aisles.
It would provide updated prices in real-time and offer personalised promotions.
Instead of queues and checkouts, it would be all automated, providing you with a smooth and intuitive retail experience.
This isn’t a fantasy. It is the next chapter in retail technology, writes Steve Jun, Head of ESL Solution Division at SOLUM.
Modern stores are moving beyond imagination, shifting their focus from offering low prices to elevating the customer experience. At the heart of this transformation is automation and hyper-personalisation, treating every customer as unique as they are.
Reinventing In-Store Experiences
In today’s stores, automation and AI are taking over one by one. From four major UK supermarkets testing out new checkout processes, to Marks and Spencer launching an AI tool for customers to pick the perfect wine, stores are experimenting with new technologies to implement in their stores. They are looking to elevate customer experience, transforming what they have always known and giving them a reason to return.
At the heart of this transformation is Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL), which allows stores to update prices in real-time seamlessly. It can offer promotions and update product information with a click of a button. Co-op and Spar have transitioned into electronic shelf labels (ESL) earlier this year, reporting the long-term savings to both paper and employee costs. This is just two of many companies in the UK making the switch.
ESLs also help retailers by tracking inventory, providing AI-driven insights, alerting employees of stock levels, and ensuring shelves are replenished at the right time with the right products. This not only lets customers shop with convenience, but helps reduce food waste. The sensors on ESLs constantly scan for data-driven insights, allowing stores to invest where there is success.
Digital displays go beyond the ordinary, offering a canvas for the store to stand out, incorporated with automation to make them smart and agile. The high-definition visuals with a digital bulletin board solution elevate advertising strategies but can be adapted with technology to make them interactive. As it gets more advanced, customers will be able to watch product videos, instructional demos, and with a single touch, they can browse additional products and add to their basket.
AI-enhanced customer service agents in-store and virtual assistants are another advancement taking place. It can answer questions on the spot. It is able to make personalised recommendations, guiding shoppers through the store, or offering discounts based on the time of the day.
These technologies work together to reduce manual processes and create dynamic environments. This lets stores optimise based on data-driven insights for a better and more memorable customer experience.
The Future of Stores: Here and Evolving
Stores are evolving, seamlessly blending physical retail spaces with digital experiences. The future store will recognise shopping behaviours by default, offering personalised promotions or discounts on frequently purchased items.
Now imagine interactive screens or smart mirrors to test out clothes and colours. A form of augmented reality that can bring you the kind of convenience you have never experienced before, where instead of guesswork or tiring try-on sessions, you can visualise products with only a couple of inputs.
This is where the future of retail is heading. Dynamic store layouts for different times of the day, seamless price matching that’s updated in real-time for best savings, and automatically highlighted products that are on trend according to social media.
Not only that, but the future also promises a checkout-free system. Advancements such as AI-driven computer vision and RFID mean customers are already able to simply pick up their items and walk out, with payments handled automatically. These developments have led to highly intuitive shopping experiences, fulfilling consumer expectations for convenience and efficiency.
What’s next?
Retail companies are playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of stores, with incredible advancements happening. In the next five years, with the strategic use of AI and automation, stores have the potential to transform the experience for customers.
Companies like SOLUM look at the future of retail through a comprehensive ecosystem perspective. It brings its solutions into one system, such as a management platform that can combine interactive screens, digital labels, advanced connectivity, and analysis tools, which is game-changing for customers.
But it doesn’t just stop there
The next five years can set a remarkable standard for in-store retail experiences. To stay competitive in an evolving market where stores are adapting to online and e-commerce, ideas out of the ordinary will be commonplace.
A possibility is Augmented Reality (AR) in the fitting rooms, blending both the digital and physical experience. In-store AR displays would provide personalised promotions and recommendations for the shoppers in the fitting rooms, showing them other products to consider adding to their carts.
Similarly, this can be implemented in a supermarket. AR can give food recommendations to a family looking to try new recipes or an individual living solo and looking for quick and cheap meals. This experimental shopping experience is not out of the realm of possibility in the near future as AI and automation increasingly become a strategy for stores.
As interactive displays develop, AI-powered voices can be installed into displays to be smart assistants. This makes a customer’s experience in the shop less stressful, giving them the chance to ask for product locations and inventory status without having to chase down a staff member to ask important or urgent questions. This ultimately frees up employees’ time as well.
Looking ahead, SOLUM is preparing for the next wave of retail innovation. Over the next five years, trends such as AI-generated promotions, real-time dynamic pricing, and fully autonomous stores will accelerate. SOLUM’s ESL technology is already capable of supporting these trends, offering retailers the flexibility and infrastructure to adapt quickly and stay ahead.
The future of retail is rapidly approaching as physical stores evolve into smart, seamless, and hyper-personalised experiences. Cutting-edge technologies like AI are paving the way for a transformation in the retail spaces, becoming intelligent, agile, and customer-centric. Companies like SOLUM are at the forefront of this shift, helping retailers reimagine their spaces as immersive, data-driven experiences tailored to each customer’s preferences.
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