TOMORROW'S STORES

Welcome to the future of shopping, where innovation meets convenience and transforms the retail landscape. In this exploration of Stores of the Future, Retailer delves into the cutting-edge technologies, sustainable practices, and evolving consumer experiences that are reshaping the way Indians shop, ushering in a new era of retail like never before. The team visited over 100 stores to understand what the retailers were offering to the new-age customer, what exactly did the consumer want from his store visits, and further, how they could be implemented into the stores’ existing systems. While the pandemic changed the way we shopped all over the world, it was clear that a few trends were there to stay – contactless shopping and payments, and omnichannel retail.

- NANDINI BANERJEE, VAISHNAVI GUPTA & ARITRA GHOSH

THE GEN Z PERCEPTION

The most interesting insights were found from the Gen Zs who play a far more pivotal role in shaping the stores of the future. According to a recent research by Klarna, the requirements of Gen Z play the foremost role is shaping the future retail evolution:

• 56% want the shopping experience to become more personalized in the future, and 42% is sure it will be - both in-store and online.

• 76% of Gen Z’ers believe that augmented reality (AR) will enhance their in-store shopping experience in the future, and 27% think it will be standard across retail stores.

• 66% believe that the majority of online shopping deliveries will be fully automated with self-driving vehicles such as robots and drones.

• 23% believe they won’t need to physically try clothes on as their personal robot or AI assistant will tell them which clothes their body and fashion style.

OMNICHANNEL TO STAY