The Commerce 2040 report from Euromonitor International talks about how retailers will look after 21 years. Experts write that in 2040 there will be many “physical” (in other words, ordinary) stores, but they will be beyond recognition crammed with technology and various additional features.
Among the innovations are, for example, “cold zones”, where you can try on winter coats and similar products and see how comfortable they will be at the appropriate time of year. Also, in the stores, there will be departments for testing shoes in real “field” conditions on different surfaces.
In 2040, stores will recognize customers in person and offer them more personalized purchases. They will not be cash, and all things will be automatically paid when leaving the store. Many of these technologies work separately now.
For customers will be virtual stylists who will pick up things for them right in the store, will give advice on combinations of colors and textures. And in the near future, shops will open the doors to those who ordered through a virtual fitting room on the Internet.
The purpose of the upgrades is to save the stores from the negative aspects: queues, the need for fitting a pile of clothes in a limited period of time, and so on; and also to make them more accessible for buyers who can get acquainted with the goods in the network, and then experience them in conditions close to real ones.