February 01, 2016
This year, we wanted to make sure we didn't miss anything at CES in Las Vegas. We believe as digital disruptors, we have to be up front and centre to learn about the new technologies to help your customers through their digital transformation.
I spent a few days exploring and learning. Retail is changing, and digital experiences are making a tremendous impact on many industries. There are many more platforms available for retailers to develop on. It's getting easier to go into the digital space, but you have to dare to play, to innovate, to explore.I saw a lot of great ideas, some I'm not so sure about, but still, they're inspiring. Here my top 10.
A mirror that remembers you! Go into the fitting room to try on the red dress, spin around in front of the mirror. Want to see what it would look like in black? Just touch the screen– there’s no need to leave the dressing room. Want to compare? Display both dresses on the mirror. This technology will change the in-store experience forever. In fact, I think tomorrow’s fitting room will require a completely different design. Interior designers specializing in retail will likely face new challenges to make bigger fitting rooms, smaller retail display areas, with more space for digital displays featuring accessories and options. It’s currently in use by Neiman Marcus.
Wondering what part of your department store gets the most traffic? Do men or women spend more time in the food court? The Panasonic Heat Map records data about your physical space, and creates an easy-to-read interface so you can get real-time analytics about visitors.
This is my personal favourite, and we’re sure to see it adopted widely over the coming months. This connected glass is going to change everything: it can turn shop windows into interactive screens or an opaque TV, and it can also create any type of display you dream up for your store window.
It can also enable you to turn the windows of your home into a TV or touch screen. Forget about shutters or blinds, design your own! This is going to revolutionize everything made of glass.
ROMY Paris has created a Nespresso-like beauty machine. It will formulate fresh face cream for you daily on demand, depending on your facial needs. For example, it will mix up a specially formulated cream for you when your skin is dry, stressed, or tired. You can personalize the mix every time.
A “connected” beauty mask that can make an assessment of your skin condition, and tell you how to better care for it. Just place the mask on your face, and get a complete analysis of hydration, dryness, etc. through an app on your phone. You can also use the mask to apply a treatment more effectively. This product has a lot of potential in Asia. See the video.
More and more people are concerned about UV ray exposure. Easy to use, stick this patch on your hand, arm or other exposed area, and instantly measure how much UV exposure you are exposed to. Everyone around you will wonder, what is that thing? There could be a viral opportunity here…
This one doesn’t exist yet, but it was great to see that Whirlpool is thinking about it. It was inspirational to see how a connected kitchen could work. Everything from a microwave that recognizes the products you place in it and cooks accordingly, to stovetops that warm the baby bottle to the perfect temperature, to a smart dishwasher that cleans objects instantly.
It’s too complicated to scan each item you put in your fridge. Don't worry. This new fridge will take multiple pictures from inside the fridge and let you know what’s in there, allowing you to order foods that you're running low on. You can also watch your Jello congeal in real-time.
The touch screen on the front panel can also be used to listen to music, watch TV, update your family calendar and do online shopping.
I see this one working well if your fridge is well-organized, but not if you’ve got a fully packed family fridge…
While it’s not perfect, they work, and are not that expensive. Compatible with Android, the Sony augmented reality glasses comes with a SDK for retailers to explore how they can use augmented reality. This is a great way to get into the digital space.
Possibilities?
Biometric sensors collect data while you sleep, tracking your eye movement, heart rate, breathing and other sleep statuses hundreds of times per second. Learn your SleepIQ, and work on optimizing your rest.
This one furthers the idea that the IoT is growing; everything can be connected. Every move we make, even when we’re not moving, can be measured and optimized.