Thinking back over the past three months, it’s hard to recall a time when in-store technology and, in a broader context, technology has occupied a more prominent position in retail.

Thinking back over the past three months, it’s hard to recall a time when in-store technology and, in a broader context, technology has occupied a more prominent position in retail. The general order seems to be that if it moves, it’s an iPad, if it’s interactive, it’s a touchscreen, and if it’s worth looking at then it must incorporate some kind of technology-led initiative.

All of which is fine, but the inescapable fact is that at the heart of all of this is the store. Retailers may have come and gone (and recently more have gone than come), but wander down the high street or into any mall worth its salt and it’s surprising how many stores there still are and some that are actually flourishing.

The fact is that the store is not going away and it matters little how much additional techno-material is applied to the retail superstructure - there will still be terrestrial stores at the heart of UK retail. The obvious question is why and the answer seems pretty straightforward.

When was the last time your laptop smiled at you? How often have you switched it on and exclaimed at its constant ability to present you with something new? And when did your computer offer a product that lets you touch it on the spot? These are the reasons people go to shops and is also why retail remains a core part of consumers’ quotidian experience.

It is in fact that old chestnut - retail experience and the laptop remains a rather one-dimensional example of this, while stores retain the ability to be multi-layered, as long as shops and technology are coupled with imagination.

For many, it’s less a matter of finding something completely new to put in as part of a store template and rather more taking what’s already there and doing something different with it. And this need not cost any more than is currently in the budget.

The physical store will still be with us in 10 years, and the experience may be mildly different. But at the risk of adopting a luddite approach to retail and the future, it seems probable that the digital divide, between online and physical retail, will still exist. However, as much as the current rash of prophets talking of providing a ‘seamless experience across all channels’ continues to be in vogue, the shop will still be at the heart of things. As usual, we strive to show the best of what’s out there and why retail’s physical components still demand pole position.

Topics