As the holiday shopping season rings in, CBS News asks, “Where are the cool new retail technologies?” They of course refer to the gadgets and interactive displays we see at trade shows and in TV reports that cover the future of shopping.
But for an innovative concept to work and have lasting value, it has to start with how to improve the shopping process for the customer.
CBS News talked with LUNAR’s John Edson to explore the issue in a recent news story, “Why most new shopping technology still disappoints.”
“Most of the [retail] concepts I see have to do with bringing technology into the store environment for some flashy efficiency improvement,” John says. “For example, some concepts propose that the store will recognize me when I walk in and guide me with lights or sounds to the things it thinks I want to buy.”
“I think this concept is pretty silly – it misses the point of being in a good store,” he notes.
At the same time, John thinks these ideas contain the kernel of something interesting, “which is the whole point of concepts. They help us envision the future and consider what we like about it.”
