5 Retail Innovations to Dissuade Complacency
by Startacus Admin
We have been shopping for hundreds of years.
We’re fairly sure how it works. Yet even the retail industry in which we participate practically daily can be improved upon and be a platform for innovation. It just goes to show that all business is evolving, always. Here for example, are five retail innovations that show us that we should never rest on our laurels.
Creepy mannequins staring at you from shop windows with their cold, dead, plastic eyes may soon be a thing of the past. These soulless grotesques will be relegated to the dingy storage rooms encountered only in horror films or your dreams, and taking the role of ‘Mummy, why is that lady staring at me’ instead will be i.Dummy.
Originally created by Hong Kong’s Polytechnic University, i.Dummy is a one-size-fits-all mannequin that combines mechatronics and anthropometrics to allow it to represent almost any body shape and measurement. It is also a great example of how a simple idea can quietly revolutionise an industry.
However, shop displays may be where i.Dummy will be least useful. Garment makers and fitters will need only one mannequin to create clothes for all sizes. Rather than having a model stand for hours at a time getting pins stuck in her, a dress maker can input her exact measurements to the i.Dummy.
i.dummy
Retail Innovation
In Store 3-D Printing...
Supermarket chain Asda is offering 3D printing of…you. Just stand still for a 12-second scan and soon you will be immortalised in tiny, ceramic form. Your 7-inch figurine comes in full colour, with a few extra options such as ‘costume’.
While the price makes it a little unrealistic for a spur of the moment purchase, this is a unique memento to capture a significant event or memory, or even as an extra special gift to those family members who always badger you for photographs.
With 3D printing becoming invaluable in various sectors, we can be pretty sure that this and other supermarket chains pondering the uses of the technology won’t stop at simple mementos.
Virtual and augmented reality...
We’ve previously discussed how virtual reality will shape the future, however it could also improve the way you shop for certain things. Already, in Japan, there are shops that scan your body and allow you to try on clothing virtually, even simulating the way the material moves as you do.
Seeing a new kitchen, bathroom or three-piece suite in a showroom is one thing, but being able to put on a headset and actually see these things in your home could be the difference between securing the perfect new furniture and making a costly mistake. Or of course simply walking away empty-handed.
Amazon Dash Buttons...If typing your favourite brand of shaving cream into Amazon and clicking ‘buy now’ is too much like hard work, why not stick a Dash Button next to your bathroom mirror? With a single push of that button, the linked product will be purchased from the online megastore and delivered to you the next day. Also check out the Dominos “Easy Order” button that we featured recently.
Although you must be an Amazon Prime member, and the Dash Buttons are linked to specific products, it could be pretty useful and stress-free for busy people. Of course, there are downsides. Smart fridges that place orders for you when food items get low never really took off, and how many of these buttons can you have dotted about before their ease is invalidated? Still, it could be the start of something big.
iBeacon...iBeacon is, in case you couldn’t guess from the name, an Apple technology. Basically, iBeacon technology allows Mobile Apps to pick up on signals from beacons around them and react according to the app’s settings. In other words, if you are using this
technology, you might walk into a shop and be alerted to the fact that the item you almost bought on your last visit is now at a reduced price, or the staff will be alerted that you have arrived to pick up your order.
In 2014, startup Localz won John Lewis’s first technology business incubator, JLab. Localz combines iBeacons with other technologies such as WiFi, GPS, NFC, QR codes, and various other letter combinations to allow retailers to interact with the customer in new ways.
We’ve seen this kind of personalised marketing and tracking in science fiction films time and again, and given how much it can benefit retailers as well as customers, it is no wonder Localz won JLab by making it a reality.
Written by Ross Harrison
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Thortful - The startup that's providing a creative card marketplace for designers, illustrators and photographers...
We are liking the sound of Feels FM, an emoji-powered jukebox using music as a positive coping strategy, & to find new ways to talk about mental health.
Innovative startups and businesses designed and focused on empowering and embracing female consumers.
P2P investment aggregator Orca raises £500K on equity crowdfunding platform, Seedrs within two days.
British logistics company Wincanton is looking for tech startups to pitch their solutions for industry specific challenges, as part of their returning W2 Labs innovation programme.
Portugal-based startup Magikbee secures a further $250k round of funding to continue its mission to reimagine kids’ learning and screen time.
Perlego - billed as the 'Spotify for textbooks' - has closed a $4.8m venture round, signalling a new chapter for the growing company on a mission to make textbooks more accessible.
Startup Hubbite has been launched with the aim of putting the trust back into online reviews.
20 aspiring early stage NI technology startups pitched for the chance to win a cash prize for their businesses, closing Ignite NI’s first Propel Pre-Accelerator programme.
Product Guru is a product discovery platform that's helping buyers from consumer goods & gift companies to discover unique & innovative new products.
Published on: 9th March 2016
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Irish startups invited to pitch at Innovation Nation 2018 19th Aug 2018 Startacus has teamed up with the inaugural Innovation Nation 2018 to deliver Ascend, an all-Ireland tech startup pitch competition.
- North East entrepreneurs sought for new Ignite Accelerator in Newcastle 17th Aug 2018 Ignite returns to Newcastle, home to its inaugural accelerator programme, to launch a 3-month funded, pre-accelerator programme for up to 20 early-stage businesses.
- Urban Massage raises over £2.5m via Seedrs 13th Aug 2018 Urban Massage announces new on-demand wellness services and immediately raises over £2.5m in investment via equity crowdfunding platform, Seedrs.
- Seedrs expands into investor automation with AutoInvest 17th Jul 2018 Seedrs’ AutoInvest will allow investors to customise investment criteria from industry sector, stage of business and tax relief eligibility to automatically invest in equity crowdfunding campaigns.
