This year was a banner year for consumers in China, as consumer confidence hit a 10-year high, and retail sales growth chugged along at an annual growth rate hovering around 10%. Here are some consumer trends we’re likely to see in the coming year.
Source: www.emarketer.com
China is a great lab testing ground.
This post comes courtesy of our content partners at TechNode.Amazon Go, the cashierless store design announced in late 2016, coincided with a flurry of Chinese tech companies to create their own versions of unmanned stores. For them, 2017 been a fruitful year in developing their solutions tailored for Chinese consumers as well as in educating the market.
Source: www.thebeijinger.com
The Chinese are not waiting around. The best of unmanned stores write-up is enlightening.
Edward Tse and Jackie Wang say market moves by Chinese firms like Alibaba, Tencent and JD.com show how key players are experimenting with various forms of tech-driven ‘new retail’ in the O2O world, making the industry more dynamic than ever
Source: www.scmp.com
Foreign companies are also actively piloting their new retail strategy in China. Earlier this month, the world’s largest Starbucks Reserve Roastery opened in Shanghai, leveraging Alibaba’s technology to give consumers a more immersed Starbucks journey.
This is also the first mass offline application of augmented reality (AR) technology. Consumers can use the Taobao app to unlock the AR features in the store, such as learning about the details of the Starbucks coffee brewing process.
With technology transforming virtually every aspect of our lives, it should be noted that many of the innovations we’re now seeing have existed for decades in science fiction novels and television. The capacity to talk to a computer (and have it talk back) was a staple of Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek, where the Starfleet computer was voiced by Roddenberry’s wife, Majel. The 1970 movie Colossus: The Forbin Project featured a supercomputer that was intended to prevent war and proclaimed itself “the voice of World Control.” And before Google’s self-driving cars, the 1980s brought us KITT, an advanced artificially intelligent, self-aware, and nearly indestructible car from the TV show, Knight Rider.
Source: www.google.com
I can tell you right now that voice is a whole new animal. what people say is much different than what they write.
New custom gear kiosk concept give brick-and-mortar outdoor specialty retailers a new tool for the toolbox.
Source: www.snewsnet.com
Order your own custom product made in China
The scene: Disney and its spouse (also Disney) have just finished a hard evening’s grocery shopping. Cart piled high with all the things a growing-but-massive entertainment conglomerate needs, the pair stop at the store’s exit, right next to a distinctive bright red kiosk. Disney turns to its partner:“Honey, should we pick up a Redbox lawsuit tonight?” “Oh, yeah, that sounds like fun!”
Source: www.avclub.com
Not intended for resale – “Redbox is selling our digital movie codes in blatant disregard of clear prohibitions against doing so. Their actions violate our contracts and copyrights, and we have filed this action to stop Redbox’s unauthorized conduct,” the company said in a statement.
As the first licensee of Eatsa’s self-service technology, Wow Bao’s newest unit allows guests to pick up their orders from cubbies that alert them on the status of their orders.
Source: www.kioskmarketplace.com
Cubbies for food delivery and pickup variation
The company taps HomeAdvisor and Porch to provide local contractors through a multistep voice-driven interaction.
Source: searchengineland.com
Now a new channel for retail especially local retail.
Artificial intelligence in the form of “digital touchpoints” like chatbots are becoming common — and essential
Source: www.cbsnews.com
I am dreading the day that bots surround me at the stores and are constantly wanting to “help me” buy something. But then maybe that is more a fear than a likely outcome.
Get ready to see more robots cruising store aisles.
Source: mashable.com
bossa Nova raises more money.
