This is how stores of the future will look like

This is what the stores of the future will look like?

There is a country in whichóas the latest generation of self-service grocery stores are springing up like mushrooms? We will find the articles necessary for life in them, as well as customer serviceóin appliances such as lodówka, microwavesóMany mobile developers use a smartphone charger or aów. There’s only one thing you won’t see: vendorsów.

Everything is supervised by one of the most popular mobile applications in China, because this countryóWeChat messenger. Store without staff. The staff-less store; high-tech automated convenience store; unmanned automatic CVS) – Bingobox – The creation of a Swedish start-up, it has the form of a portable pavilion with a surface area of about 12-15 metersóThe new self-service grocery stores are the largest in terms of square footage and, according to the manufacturer, there are already more than a thousand. The entrance to the facility is possible after scanning the QR code with a smartphone and identifying the user. After downloading the article from póThe sensors installed on the store floor instruct the smartphone app to make the payment. As soon as the shopper leaves the store, for data protection reasons, all collected shopper information is deleted. And the entire shopping experience looks like this:

Also, e-commerce giant – Alibaba has opened a retail facility devoid of vendorsów – Tao CafĂ©é. Inauguration of operations in July this year. was so impressive that there were queues. All you need is a smartphone with an app to enter, a purchase to monitoróIt uses facial and voice recognition, the system itself collects the money for purchases made when the shopper leaves the store through the biometric gate.

The explosion of mobile payments

A rash of objectsóin unmanned commerce in the Middle Kingdom is due to the huge popularity of mobile payments. Better Than Cash Alliance data shows that in 2016, Chinese people made $2.9 trillion worth of transactions through Alipay and WeChat appsóIn 2012, they were less than 82 billion dollarsów, so in 4 years the value of mobile payments has increased over 30 times (sic!).

No wonder, because the Chinese use their smartphones to pay for literally everything: rent, groceries, etc. They even communicate in this wayóThere is a country where people donate to charity and street artists get tips from passers-byóin scanning their QR codes.

Will they be adopted outside of China?

As there is no rógy without thorns, so does the expansion of high-tech storesóIt is not devoid of obstaclesód – some Bingobox-ów had to be temporarily closed. In general, however, the question is whether the concept of a storeóThe unstaffed store will do well outside of China or with items other than groceries? Do you screwóThis, in turn, may mean that e.g. the tce will be able to enter a clothing store, try on clothes, buy, pay automatically and leave the premises, without any contact with people? It may not be as easy as it looks.

Not so simple

In early 2017, the U.S. was to be open to a wide range of usersóinto a self-service Amazon Go store, but technology solutions couldn’t handle the large number of waspsób simultaneous shoppers.

Clothing retailer Zara has introduced self-service stations in the world’s largest store, opening in Madrid this April. However, it is not known whether similar solutions will appear in other cities.

In someóluxury department stores already offer smartphone payment optionsów. However, selling luxury brands is different than selling mainstream clothing. Employee-free storesów do not fit into exclusive brands and the highest level of customer service. No program or technology can provide what the human factor (direct contact, advice, engagement from the salesperson).

What will be the results of the initiatives described above will become clear soon.

Technology cannot be ignored, but to succeed in business you need róthe balance between online and offline. I wrote about this in another article, and I hope you will agree with me.