The focus on retail in 2014 is on the future, especially in Canada, with companies large and small scrambling to catch up to the U.S. when it comes to e-commerce.
But what does the more distant future hold? What will retail look like in 10 years? Bob Johansen, distinguished fellow, Institute for the Future, has immersed himself in scouting for what might be next.
The Institute for the Future is a California-based non-profit research centre specializing in long-term forecasts.
Here are examples Johansen brought to retailers who attended the annual Retail Council of Canada conference in Toronto this week.
The invisible store
In 2011, advertising firm Y&R teamed with skateboard shoemaker Airwalk to set up two temporary invisible stores for the limited-edition relaunch of the popular Airwalk Jim shoe, using geotagging and augmented reality. With bloggers spreading word of the event, sneaker enthusiasts were invited to two specific locations in New York City and Los Angeles. Once they got there and downloaded an app, they could use their smartphones or iPads to make the store appear on the devices, and choose the shoe they wanted. Airwalk e-store had its busiest weekend ever.
WiFi-free zones
Not free WiFi, WiFi-free. Now that WiFi is everywhere, there are people willing to pay more to get away from it, Johansen said. Rooms without any connectivity (no tech at all, including phones or televisions) are already available in at least one hotel in Japan — at a higher price than regular rooms, Johansen said. KitKat recently set up a free “No WiFi” zone in downtown Amsterdam to promote the idea of taking a break.
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