Editor's Note: 4 Cool Retail Technologies 
for the Hot Summer Months

Not sure where you are right now, but unless it's Alaska or Antartica, you're probably somewhere where the air is hot and humid. (I know I am, as I write this column from my home office in Brooklyn, N.Y. in early July.) That's why I thought I'd take a look at some cool (get it, cool) retail technology trends I've heard about recently. Here are four I found particularly interesting:

1. Try-before-you-buy online content. One of the biggest drawbacks to online shopping is not being able to "try before you buy." Let's face it, despite the fact that e-commerce is exploding, many consumers today still don't buy merchandise (especially high-ticket items) online because they can't try out the items before they buy them. Well, the lighting section on Anthropolgie's website has solved this problem with a cool use of rich media. When a shopper places their cursor over pictures of lamps on the site, they can see what the lamps look like when they're lit up. It's simple, easy to use and very effective.

2. Interactive video. Yes, video marketing is nothing new for cross-channel retailers. But British apparel and accessories retailer Burberry took video marketing a step further earlier this year when it launched an interactive video experience to display the features of its new Burberry Brights eyewear collection. The full-screen YouTube video starts with rain falling on a pair of folded-up Burberry Brights sunglasses. The rain then stops and the screen expands while the glasses unfold. Viewers can click on the different colors underneath the video to change the color of the glasses. The glasses also move around the screen in an interesting way. Some fall into a puddle of water, for example, while others dance. It's a fun, memorable experience for the user (in this case, me).