My tech predictions for 2016
How will the current emerging technologies affect retail during 2016? Here is my list of the top 3 emerging technologies and if/how they will make an impact this year.
tl;dr expect to see No UI apps emerge, VR will make no impact and wearables will be used by staff not consumers. — Tweet This
No UI and Messaging Apps
A growing trend in 2016 will be building apps without any UI. Sounds crazy, but these apps will be built on top of existing messaging platforms. Interaction with the app will be just like chatting with a friend — ask it a question and get a response, all via text. One interesting idea in the retail space is to chat to a Virtual Sales Assistant who can make recommendations and offer advice on what products to buy. This type of interaction with the customer can offer a dynamic experience, one that feels more natural and personal when compared with simply browsing a catalogue.
To allow these kinds of interactions to happen, the key messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Telegram will need to open up to 3rd party developers and provide them with an API. One platform has already done this — Telegram, with its 62 monthly million active users. It’s a great start, but the big player in the messaging world is WhatsApp with 500 million monthly active users. Once it opens up the platform to developers, expect to see many examples of No UI.
VR
Unfortunately, VR is geek technology which has an initial “wow” factor but ultimately is without a real world purpose. The main problem with this technology at the moment is there is no easy way to incorporate user input. With the computer we have the mouse, with the smart phone we have the touch screen — with VR we have a few attempts at input that don’t really work. Facebook has made a huge investment in Oculus Rift, the VR company it acquired in 2014 for $2 billion. However, the company has not really made any impact on consumers, especially with a price point in the hundreds of pounds. That being said, the desire for popup stores in confined spaces where a customer can don a headset and browse the products does have its appeal. Don’t expect to see it in 2016.
Wearables
Wearables will continue to create noise from manufacturers with the inevitable release of the Apple Watch 2 this year. Unfortunately, they won’t be widely adopted by the consumer as there is still not a “killer app” for a watch. There may still be growth in the retail sector as staff members on the shop floor become more connected. Last year we (Red Ant) were able to complete a trial with Halfords where smart watches were used to free up both hands for the staff members who were carrying boxes, replacing a paper system that was difficult to manage while carrying things. These more practical solutions will be explored further in 2016.
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