Technology can reprogramme the High Street

Technology, the most obvious factor in the decline of the High Street, now appears to be its greatest promise, according to Shane Finlay, Chief Value Advisor at SAP UKI.

In a comment piece for RTIH, he says: “While shoppers have moved away from physical stores, they still want physical encounters. They want interactions, not just transactions. They want personal touch, an individual insight.”

Good examples of this are Sephora implementing augmented reality technologies into its app in a bid for consumers to try before they buy. “Think of it as omnichannel experiences with a technological twist,” says Finlay.

Ikea, meanwhile, recently implemented IKEA Place, an augmented reality app that helps you decorate your home virtually. Launched a year ago – and already downloaded two million times - this lets customers see exactly how more than 2,000 furniture items would look, and fit, in their homes. “Technology such as this is allowing consumers to interact with brands and retailers in new ways and carry their experiences to in-store visits and purchases,” Finlay argues.

Check out the full comment piece here.