These 2018 retail trends span across a wide range of industries, many of which elevate the shopping experience with technological elements. The intersecting concept between all these trends simply focuses on a seamless experience, delivering products and services to meet the accurate needs of their consumers.
Fashion retailer Zara contributed from a high-tech perspective by blending the offline experience with augmented reality. It introduced its own AR app to be used in stores, showcasing models walking around in the clothing. This allows consumers to select virtual clothing to be showcased and also enables online payments directly on the phone. Zippin also highlighted technological advancements in the retail landscape. It opened up a concept store powered by artificial intelligence to create what it calls a "frictionless shopping experience." It relies on visual cognition and machine learning to eliminate the check-out experience. To pay, visitors simply use the app, connect their payment option, and scan their own QR code to initiate a seamless shopping experience.
For more retail ideas in the year ahead, check out Trend Hunter's 2019 Trend Report.
- Gen Alpha
- Gen Z (primary audience)
- Millennial (primary audience)
- Gen X (primary audience)
