Retail is becoming increasingly tech-savvy as the rapidly evolving industry tries to keep up with growing consumer demand for more convenient, engaging, and frictionless shopping experiences.
Stationary retail is increasingly using innovative technologies to improve areas such as payment and checkout solutions, data analysis and customer-oriented marketing.
Some of the most exciting technologies were unveiled at the EuroCIS retail trade show, held in Düsseldorf from May 31 to June 2 for the first time since the pandemic began.
What exactly were the exhibitors so enthusiastic about? FashionUnited attended the lively show and in this article we have compiled a list of four exciting tech solutions designed to improve fashion retail.
smart tags
Gone are the days when labels simply stated the price and size of a garment. New smart labels are becoming increasingly popular in the fashion industry to support customers and retail businesses alike. “An RFID chip is basically a number plate for a piece of clothing,” says Stefan Linz, Senior Sales Manager Northern Europe at the ITL Group.
Linz explains that the main benefit of RFID tags remains that they enable more accurate and faster inventory counting, but also a wide range of other benefits, such as smart fitting rooms, instant verification of product availability in stores, and discreet security systems .
Smart tags are also valuable for customers, because they can use them to access a wealth of information about a specific brand or product immediately and effortlessly, which Linz says is becoming increasingly important for brands. “As the fashion industry evolves towards sustainability and traceability, we see more and more customers asking for QR codes or NFC tags,” he confirms.
NFC tags (which require a phone tap to access information) and QR codes (which need to be scanned with a camera) can both be used to show a garment’s history and its sustainability credentials, and to provide information and circular services such as authentication, repair and resale. While NFC tags are small metal chips, QR codes are just a small imprint, often applied in ink, which is why various companies at EuroCIS noted that QR codes remain the more sustainable option.
robots in business
Another exciting technology that is likely to become more widespread in fashion retail in the years to come is the use of automated robots, which can take over the costly and time-consuming task of counting inventory, freeing up store staff for other tasks such as making customer care.
One company working on such a robot is MetraLabs. The robotics solutions maker has built a robot called Tory that uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to take inventory and can be used in stores after hours or even during the day when customers are in the store.
The robot recognizes and captures 99 percent of all RFID-tagged items, is 10 times faster than manual inventory counting, and can run for up to 18 hours before needing a recharge, according to Christian Reuther, senior software architect at MetraLabs.
Also, the robot can be equipped with a multimodal user interface with voice and touch input, so customers can ask it where to find a specific product or department. Tory is currently used in hundreds of stores across Europe and Australia including Decathlon, Kmart Australia and Adler fashion stores.
smart mirrors
New innovations are also finding their way into the changing rooms. Smart mirrors are becoming increasingly popular in fashion retail. They streamline the shopping process and merge the physical with the digital to offer consumers easier ways to compare, browse and style fashion without having to make multiple trips back and forth between store and fitting room.
Digital signage company, Scala, was one of the exhibitors showcasing a ‘Smart Mirror’ at EuroCIS. Sensors in the Scala changing room use RFID technology to recognize which products customers are holding. The product is then displayed on a screen on the mirror so they can see complementary products, view other looks from the store and check their availability without having to leave the fitting room. They can also take a short video of themselves wearing the product while rotating 360 degrees to see how the garment looks on them from all angles.
The H&M Group is just one of the many fashion companies introducing smart mirrors in their stores. The group announced this month that it would be testing these in Cos stores across the US.
Customer frequency tracker
Monitoring customer behavior in stores is incredibly valuable for retailers. Knowing how customers move around the store, which items they go to and how long they stay there can help fashion companies to maximize their sales. One company specializing in this technology is the Swiss technology company Xovis, which develops, produces and sells 3D sensors and software. The Bern-based company’s sensors can be installed in such a way that they measure important KPIs, such as pedestrian frequency, the time spent in the zone, the route taken by customers and the sales per customer and/or square meter.
Using tracking technology, fashion retailers can arrange their products more effectively to place the most popular items in high-traffic areas, ensuring customers see more of what they want to see and less of what they don’t want to see. For example, if retailers know in which order customers like to browse the stores, they can arrange their products or the layout of the store itself in a way that is most likely to make a purchase. According to its own statements, Xovis was able to increase sales by up to 15 percent with a German partner using its technology.
EuroCIS 2022 in figures
A total of 9,070 trade visitors from 88 countries and 345 exhibitors from 33 countries came to EuroCIS 2022.
“These figures give cause for optimism and are anything but predictable after the forced break in 2021 caused by the pandemic and the postponement from January to June 2022,” said Elke Moebius, the EuroCIS project manager, at the end of the event.
“With its trade fair activities, the EuroCIS has provided a strong impetus for the industry,” added Moebius, confirming that exhibitors were already “eagerly” inquiring about opportunities to participate next year, when the EuroCIS will again take place as part of the EuroShop.
This translated article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Edited and translated by Simone Preuss.