Augmented Reality

Scott Emmons, head of the digital innovation lab at Neiman Marcus, delivered a keynote presentation at Total Retail Tech in September. In this clip from Emmons’ presentation, he discusses the tech trends that the upscale department store is investing in, from augmented and virtual reality (e.g., makeup try-on tool available in-store) to personalization, which he…

In today’s digital era, it’s no secret that retailers are looking for new solutions to revitalize processes and transform the customer experience. To stay ahead of competition, many are implementing innovative technologies to create immersive shopping journeys, support informed purchase decisions, open additional revenue streams and new marketing channels, and ensure brand loyalty. One of…

Sameer Hassan is the senior vice president of enterprise product strategy and user experience at Williams-Sonoma Inc., where he heads up product management, UX and product analytics for the WSI brands. We caught up over lunch recently to learn more about WSI’s culture of innovation. Holly Vander Wall: At WSI, you’re working with cutting-edge technology such as virtual…

Many brands are beginning to understand the definition and impact of augmented reality (AR). The ability for AR to be significantly more engaging than any other technology by creating a multisensory experience can help brands develop a deeper relationship with consumers. As a result, the gaming and entertainment industries are adopting AR solutions at a…

I was asked to write about how virtual reality (VR) applies to retail about a month ago and really didn’t have much to say on the subject. Now that time has gone by, I’ve seen some exciting new things that can be used in retail. I recently connected with a company that offers credit card…

Augmented reality (AR) apps deliver rich, highly interactive, two-way experiences that visually engage customers and extend products and services to fingertip access, both inside and outside the store. Central to AR apps is the fact that they're tailor-made for mobile devices. Houzz reports that mobile users who engage AR are 11 times more likely to…

When it comes to e-commerce, growth is a trend you can’t ignore. Globally, the e-commerce industry is projected to reach $4.5 trillion by 2021, and in the U.S., online sales are increasing by about 15 percent every year. But when looking at more specific e-commerce trends, it can be difficult to discern fact from fiction.…

On a busy retail floor during peak sales season, it’s difficult (if not impossible!) to pull a veteran employee away from critical duties in order to train a new recruit. Thankfully, human resources has a new technology at their disposal to scale trainers: virtual reality (VR). Not only is VR effective in scaling training programs,…

The retail industry is in the throes of a major transformation as the traditional retail model gives way to new modes of “experiential retail.” A key element of experiential retail is the innovative use of technology to provide richer shopping experiences that are more informative, frictionless, immersive and satisfying. To create richer experiences both online…