Have you ever thought that technologies might revolutionize the way we consume in the near future? If you want to catch a glimpse of the future of shopping, you should not miss to learn more about these new shopping modes.

Unmanned supermarkets: no lines, no checkout, no problems!

Amazon, the world’s largest e-commerce platform always keeps looking for the clues of the future of sales and the unmanned markets seem to offer an even greater opportunity for its new sales growth. Simply walk in, grab the goods you want and then check out – the entire process from entry to departure is completely operated by customers. Such uninterrupted shopping process is what Amazon calls Just Walk Out technology.

The first Amazon Go initially launched in beta in 2016, but it was only until January 2018 that it finally opened to the public. To enter the store, customers just need the Go app. Once you have the app and connect a card to your Go account, you do not have to worry about anything but shopping. Its motto, “no lines, no checkout (no, seriously)” says it all.

Amazon Go implements its most prominent feature – Just Walk Out through a complete tracking system. Cameras equipped with sensors on shelves and ceilings not only monitor the status of goods but also recognize human faces that determine your “shopping cart”. When you walk to the exit, the system will automatically withdraw money from the bank card connected to your Amazon account.

Drone delivery: get what you want right now

Consumers know what they want and many of them want it right away. How many times have you felt frustrated about waiting for the stuff you bought online for so long or felt so hungry waiting for the food you wanted badly. The rapid development of e-commerce nowadays has caused a sharp increase in the logistics demand, putting forward higher requirements for logistics capability.

Although we have seen more and more vehicles transporting packages on the highway and a growing number of couriers wearing uniforms rushing in the streets, the traditional distribution method is still lagging behind the industry due to rising costs, low efficiency and lack of security. However, the use of drones to develop a new mode of unmanned distribution will hopefully bring positive changes to the current distribution status.

Using drones for delivery can not only perfectly solve the “last mile distribution” problem with high efficiency, safety and low cost but also create a brand new air transportation mode which breaks the geographical limits and makes up for the lack of transport capacity in remote areas. We can foresee that in the near future, we will move a step closer to a more efficient home delivery service, where you buy and you enjoy.

AR shopping: a unique shopping journey

AR stands for augmented reality, which is a technology that calculates the location and angle of camera images in real time and adds corresponding images, video or 3D models. Its goal is to present the virtual world on the digital screen and let it interact with the real world.

AR combines online and offline to achieve better product display. For instance, the AR app IKEA Place greatly improves customers’ shopping experience. Instead of having to measure the room size and imagine how a certain piece of furniture would look in your home, you just need to choose your favorite stuff on the app, take a photo of your room and IKEA Place will instantly project their 3D models into real scenes to help users choose the suitable furniture.

The same is true for Lush’s exclusive bath bomb shop – Lush Harajuku in Japan, which turned away from the traditional way of showcasing its products but let consumers use its new Lush Labs App, featured in Lush lens, to scan various kinds of bath bombs to see its ingredients and watch its digital demonstrations. By deleting tedious product introductions on the demo stations and signage, Lush has better displayed its products.

AR is also commonly used in virtual try-ons, such as AR lipstick, glasses try on and virtual fitting. The AR fitting mirrors released by Walmart can quickly build up a customer’s body model by 3D scanning, allowing customers to have an AR fitting. Users only need to try on clothes once to see how it looks in all colors.

These technologies together with other new shopping ways including Internet of Things, VR and remote 3D printers will create a highly intelligent shopping environment and greatly enhance people’s shopping experience. Are you expecting such a consumption blueprint?