ebay and rebecca minkoff connected store shows future of shopping

ebay and rebecca minkoff connected store shows future of shopping
images courtesy of rebecca minkoff

ebay inc. and rebecca minkoff unveil the future of retail shopping through a digitally ‘connected store’ located in soho, new york city. the shop on greene street showcases the all-new consumer experience that merges online and physical shopping in an intersection of ecommerce and technology. the ‘connected wall’ features a mirrored display that shows videos and motivational content, and enables interaction as shoppers can touch the surface to request associates to prepare fitting rooms, order drinks and even change the environment’s lighting.

‘how do you most efficiently use physical space to let people discover products?’ said steve yankovich, head of innovation and new ventures at ebay inc. ‘our retail innovation team is building out answers to that question by putting new concepts in front of consumers. these will lead to big, big changes in retail.’

‘there are less and less mannequins you’ve seen in stores,’ yankovich added. ‘displays, video and connected touch walls can make seeing what products look like in actual use much more engaging and true to life. many surfaces and spaces in stores aren’t used efficiently.  there are opportunities to help consumers have much more engaging shopping experiences.’

the interactive surfaces enables shoppers to experience online retail whilst in store

using RFID technology the ‘connected walls’ recognize all items in the room and identifies other sizes and colors that are available to the consumer. this creates an environment tailored for the customer’s needs and even works alongside the rebecca minkoff iOS smartphone app that offers options built around the user’s profile. following the first ‘connected store’ in NYC, others will appear on the streets in san francisco and los angeles on november 19th and in 2015.

‘if you bring five things into a dressing room and they don’t work, you might be tempted to leave a store,’ yankovich noted. ‘but what if you could determine the availability of different colors or sizes and request them from associates while still in the dressing room? the connected store’s fitting rooms will make that possible through smart surfaces that can even suggest entire outfits to try.’

[h/t] wall street journal