<h3>AI, extended reality (XR) and even QR codes are bringing new innovations to retail by blending the digital and physical shopping experience.</h3>
Is the future of retail online-only? Or will brick-and-mortar stores maintain relevance? Some tech optimists think retail will exist mainly in the ‘realverse’, or what is increasingly being called XR (extended reality) – a mix of real, digital and virtual.
How is XR different from AR? Rather than simply layering interfaces over the physical world (either through a smartphone app or AR glasses), XR is a bridging technology that aims to support seamless transitions between this and immersive virtual experiences.
In theory, you could put on a single wearable device 
and head into town to visit a store. Inside, you could 
browse for a new jacket and, through the wearable, 
see an info overlay of what you’re looking at. This 
could show you what the jacket looks like on an avatar, 
alongside other in-store options.
Then, having decided on the way home to buy the 
jacket, you can switch to the store’s website to add it 
to your shopping cart for home delivery.
<blockquote>“AI … unlocks the ability to deliver on failed promises of the past.”</blockquote>
– Jordan Fisher, Standard AI
“The power of AI and computer vision is about 
unlocking the physical world [and] elevating the thing 
that’s already amazing, which is the world that we live 
in today,” explained Jordan Fisher, co-founder and 
CEO of computer vision startup Standard AI.
Right now, the only limitation is the hardware we use, 
said commercetools CMO Jen Jones.
“What kind of data would you like to have accessible 
without having to look away and search in your 
phone?” asked Jen. Furthermore, how can it be 
automated and integrated into the world around you?
<h3>Old tech works too</h3>
Retail innovation can also involve incorporating 
tech that has been around for quite a while. The QR 
code, for example, dates back to 1994, but is only 
now making inroads. Jen gives the example of home 
furnishings store Restoration Hardware, which has 
moved away from a traditional store experience.
“They have physical showrooms paired with their 
online shopping experience and their catalogues. 
When you go to one of their showrooms, everything 
has a QR code on it,” explained Jen. “There’s no 
checkout. You build your cart online on your phone, 
then you checkout and have things delivered.”
Another example is upscale men’s clothing store 
Harry Rosen. They’re leaning into personalisation to 
replicate a “high-touch, in-store stylist experience”.
Using information including desired size and fit, Harry 
Rosen stylists assemble bespoke looks for clients to 
peruse from home. The result? A return rate three times 
lower than when shoppers pick out their own clothes. 
Generative AI, unsurprisingly, fits into all this.
Jordan sees it as a bridge to “high-touch” consumer 
experiences where it could, at scale and in a 
cost-effective way, give everyone their own 
personal stylist.
Jordan added: “I think of AI not as the flying cars 
that were promised; but what it does, I think, is that 
it unlocks the ability to deliver on failed promises of 
the past.”
<h3>To get more digital marketing tips and expertise, download our full Marketing and media insights report <a href="https://websummit.com/marketing-insights" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</h3>
<a href="https://flic.kr/p/2oLizmy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Main image<a/> of Jordan Fisher, co-founder &#038; CEO, Standard AI, onstage at Collision 2023: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/collisionconf/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Piaras Ó Mídheach</a>/<a href="https://rio.websummit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Web Summit</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY 2.0</a>)

From QR to XR: The tech keeping retail on its toes

QAnon: The other pandemic

Speaking truth to power in dangerous times