Radio-frequency identification and near field communication can revolutionise the high street, so why is it taking so long?
It would actually be a lot like the good parts of e-commerce, with all of the fun and tactile richness of real life thrown in. Imagine starting at home on your sofa. You find a product you like on your tablet or smartphone, which then reminds you about it later when it recognises you're near the store. Once you're there an interactive window display, communicating with you about your interests, draws you inside.
Your mobile device now becomes a useful tool in browsing the store, allowing shop attendants to spend less time finding products and more time delivering higher forms of customer service. Other screens throughout the store provide an array of useful information. Take a blouse into the changing room and the screen-enabled mirror not only suggests the right skirts and accessories to try with it, based on your stated tastes and past purchases, but it can also let you try them on virtually, on the same mirror. You can then share your virtual catwalk with friends on social networks.
It can go further. If you were to opt-in, the tracking of your visits, searches and purchases over time could generate tailored customer loyalty offers and discounts – as websites are currently able to do. And when it's time to buy, you can do it yourself from your phone. The potential savings to the brand through reduced transaction management are huge.
