adiVERSE Virtual Shopping Point of Purchase

adiVERSE Virtual Shopping Point of Purchase

About 2 years ago HRG were starting to get asked by a number of clients what our thoughts were on the future of QR codes and virtual shopping in-store and if either of these concepts would take off, which we beleived they would, and to a certain extent QR codes have, but there has not been many brands or retailers to embark on virtual shopping experiences in the retail environment, yet!

In Jan 2011, Adidas launched the adiVERSE wall in New York which is the first major success of combining physical retail and the internet. The store is still in testing, but if successful it will most likely roll out internationally.

The wall enables consumers to see their full range of stock regardless of the size of the physical store, so eliminating the out of stock problem. The wall has built-in technology to change the range shown based on gender, and anonymously tracks their behaviour to further personalise their offering. They can view detailed product info and see what people are saying on social networks. Once selected, a sales assistant is alerted and can be purchased through a tablet and delivered straight to their front door.

This wouldn’t work well for all products. Many brands are concerned about transparency of allowing consumers to see all their reviews of products from the good to the bad, they effectively lose control. Even though in reality trying to keep control rather than being proactive about negative reviews, can be seen as more of a hinderance.

However for Adidas the adiVERSE wall works perfectly with their target audience. Their consumers are keen users of social networks and e-commerce. Plus they have high interest and engagement with their product offering.

Some stores are combining digital and physical retail on a smaller scale. For example, when shopping in John Lewis the store assistants are now well versed in finding your product on their website if they are not available in store and ordering them there and then.

It will be interesting to see more retailers blurring the line between digital and physical retail, and to see how this starts to affect our shopping behaviour. We will keep a close eye on trends in this area for our readers and report any new innovations.

Author: Gemma Webster