Technology has been the "future of shopping" for years now. What did experts predict? And how many of these predictions are now reality? A quick sampling from past predictions:
- Personal shopping assistants. These were described (in 2004) as tablet computers (yes, like iPads!) that shoppers would use to find their way around stores, tabulate purchases and speed up checkout. A variation (discussed in 2007) was in-store kiosks, like the Hewlett-Packard prototype above, that would print coupons, shopping lists, etc. Some grocery chains have tried these technologies . . . but now mobiles may be the real shopping assistants of the future, with QR codes providing detailed info for shopping decisions anywhere, at any time.
- Hyper-local buying. Before the recent economic turmoil, before petrol's skyrocketing price, Forum for the Future (with Tesco and Unilever) imagined scenarios (in 2007) in which high oil prices would prompt shoppers to buy food from nearby sources or grow produce themselves. Going green would be a necessity, and the main grocery chains would consolidate their market shares. Some of this has happened, in fact.
- Social media shopping. Facebook, m-commerce, YouTube, and e-mail retail promotions (in 2009) were growing rapidly and would change the way consumers shop. This scenario is actually in full swing today, of course.
What will the future of shopping really look like?
