In order to promote how important it is to support local businesses, American Express partnered up with the HUSH design agency to create a gesture-based interface called Shop Small.
The interface is set up to bring products and in-store experiences to shoppers from a digital screen. While browsing through specific item types, users are even able to compile wish lists, save them and either have them printed on the spot or have the list sent to a phone. In addition to highlighting local shops, the Amex booth also shows off local restaurants, events and other destinations that are like getting to know the city from the inside, as a local would. Despite being a digital interface, in designing this experience, HUSH notes: "When you visit small businesses, the feeling is natural material, human-scale, tactile and personal. So, we didn’t want the installation to feel overtly digital."
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Gesture-based Shopping
- Opportunity for businesses to develop digital interfaces that incorporate gesture-based shopping experiences
- Local Business Support
- Opportunity to promote and support local businesses by incorporating them into digital platforms to enhance visibility
- In-store Digital Wish Lists
- Opportunity for businesses to incorporate digital screens in-store for customers to compile and save wish lists
Where This Applies
- Retail
- Retail businesses can develop digital platforms to promote local shops, events and destinations to customers
- Hospitality
- Hotels and other hospitality businesses can incorporate local shops and events into digital concierge services
- Design
- Design agencies can develop gesture-based interfaces that enhance tactile and personal experiences for customers
