In store technology is gaining momentum as retailers are exploring its potential to truly revolutionise shopping. It’s not just about developing highly practical and convenient tools; there is also room for an element of fun and entertainment.

Looking at the return on experience as well as the return on investment is key, believes Carmel Allen, editor-in-chief at GDR Creative Intelligence. “Simply put, technology should enhance life, be intuitive and make shopping a frictionless experience. If it doesn’t have a positive impact on the shopper’s emotions, think again about adopting it”, she says.

Around the globe retailers are playing with innovative technology in order to build relationships with their customers, and for the following ten stores, it appears to be working:

• Social home tour
  

Although not technically in the traditional retail space, this company could certainly spark ideas for the homeware retailers with its hugely successful home life concept. Carvalho Hosken, a Brazilian construction company created a home away from home in order to promote new condominium complex in an affluent district of Rio de Janeiro. The tailor-made experience for potential buyers encouraged interested parties to register for the tour via Facebook, which gave the company access to their profile information prior to their visit. When the potential buyers entered, they were surprised to see that they had already made their mark on the home – digital picture frames showed their own photographs, their favourite music was playing and in the home office, a computer displayed the fastest route to their work place. In one month, 28% of visits were converted into sales, which is 300% up on the average conversion rate for this kind of real estate venture in Brazil.

• Guideshops
  

This online, bricks and mortar store offers the benefits of both worlds by providing a place to try before you buy and a personalised service, with the convenience of buying online and having the items delivered to your door. All orders are processed by iPad and visits to the store are available by booking a free 45-minute session online. During the session customers receive one-on-one assistance, fit advice and styling tips, and following their visit their preferences are stored in an online account enabling appropriate clothing in the correct size to be suggested in the future. Results show purchases at a Guideshop are nearly double the average order value at bonobos.com. Guideshop customers are also said to be 77% quicker to place a second order.

• Playful changing rooms

Plus size, fashion retailer Penningtons used augmented reality to put a smile on its customers faces by greeting them with dancing firemen in the mirror, who appeared to offer her a rose or champagne. The mirror, which used motion-sensor technology to detect when a customer was in front of it and trigger video footage, was unveiled during an in-store promotional event. The activity attracted over 50,000 views from viewers online.

• Automatic self-service

Jeans store Hointer uses an in store app that puts its customer in control of their service level. Customers download the app on arrival, enter their clothing size and then begin to browse the shop floor as normal. Although it’s not really ‘normal’ as we know it, as customers can choose, try on and buy a pair of jeans without so much as speaking to a member of staff. The customer just scans the type of jean they like on the shop floor and the app manages the service by placing the item in their shopping basket and automatically delivering it the fitting room. If they want to buy it, the customer swipes their bank card at the self-check out point in the fitting room, and it they don’t want it they just put it in the returns area. If they need any help the store assistants have access to a customer’s shopping history instantly, and can offer a tailored service.

• Window shopping

Adidas’ teen-focused brand Neo really brought window-shopping to life when it created a shoppable window that connects to a smartphone. The window-shopper visits a given URL displayed on the store window to receive a one-time pin, which is then used to connect the phone and window through gesture touch. Once connected customers can drag items into a virtual shopping bag and buy them on the spot through the phone.

• Virtual stores

Chinese e-commerce website Yihaodian created a virtual, augmented reality store in the real-world that can only be visited through an app. The stores are tagged by GPS and placed in areas like residential neighbourhoods and in front of competitors’ brick-and-mortar supermarkets. To shop, customers point their smartphone at the location using the app, and the virtual shop opens on their screens. They are then able to ‘walk’ around the aisles and shop goods from the store for home delivery. Results saw a 16% sales increase in the first year that the app went live.

• Social hangers

Tapping into the fact that its customers seek their friends’ opinions when buying clothes, fashion retailer C&A combined hangers and social media to encourage sales in store. Its hangers had built-in LED screens, which displayed the number of Facebook Likes the item had achieved in real time in store. Customers could see instantly which item was most popular with C&A Fans and be reassured about their purchase.

• Bespoke catalogues

Asian Paints, one of the largest paint manufacturers in India, uses its stores like a catalogue. Shoppers can’t buy anything in store, instead they scan the products and services they like using RFID tags which digitally record their preferences. When they leave the store they are given the ultimate incentive to make a later purchase, in the form of a bespoke catalogue formed from the data they have given while browsing. The result has been a 35% increase in sales for the brand from surrounding retail stores.