The Whole World Is a Store

Long gone are the days when shopping meant a trip to the mall. The whole world is a store, and consumers research products in advance and make purchases through myriad digital and physical touchpoints.

The emerging future of retail goes beyond Web-based commerce to include technologies such as mobile, augmented reality, motion sensing, RFID, touchscreen interfaces, and large-scale databases. The trick is implementing them effectively, and in ways relevant to consumer needs before, during, and after their shopping experience.

Retailers who can create this kind of individualized immersive experience are typically rewarded with loyal customers—those who are also interested in collaborating with companies on new offerings. A recent global study by IBM showed that CEOs increasingly see the value in customer collaboration, and see it as a way to distinguish their organizations. This means retailers have to be prepared and able to engage and respond. frog’s combination of experience design and deep, hands-on knowledge of a wide array of key technologies gives us an edge in developing innovative retail experiences.

Consumers today seek out retailers that offer experiences, rather than those that just sell them products.