Intelligent SME.tech Issue 03 | Page 38

// INDUSTRY UNLOCKED

SMALLER STORES THAT ARE LEFT
UNOPENED WILL THEN BE USED AS ‘ DARK STORES ’ – MORE
CONVENIENT AND LOCAL
WAREHOUSES USED FOR
FULFILMENT TO IMPROVE THE E-COMMERCE
HOME DELIVERY EXPERIENCE .
How technology can help improve health and hygiene in-store
Social distancing , although a virtually unknown expression just a few months ago , is now a critical prevention strategy for people around the globe . For many , it is vital that the brands they choose to shop with are able to provide the experience they expect in-store , while allowing shoppers to maintain social distancing with others . This will be key moving forward in maintaining customer loyalty , and technology will be vital in helping retailers to ensure health and hygiene remains a top priority .
For example , Blockchain will become an increasingly valuable tool for tracing the journey of products , so that customers have much better visibility over where an item has come from and where it has been on its journey . IoT will also be crucial in providing sensor data to monitor whether customers are adhering to social distancing . This will be a much quicker , easier and more accurate method than watching shoppers with human staff .
Furthermore , there have already been numerous innovations in virtual fitting rooms delivered by Augmented Reality ( AR ) in recent years to allow customers to try on clothes virtually , and a more widespread adoption of AR by retailers was already on the rise before the COVID-19 outbreak .
This is particularly true of retailers selling footwear , jewellery or optical retailers . For example , Gucci added an AR function to its mobile app to enable customers to try on its popular Ace Sneakers virtually . The adoption of these technologies is a little more challenging when it comes to clothing . There is a need to give not just fitting accuracy , but a realistic idea of the look and feel of the
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Intelligent SME . tech