FIVE THINGS ABOUT FUTURE OF RETAIL

1 SMART SHELVES

Web retailers have plenty of data on their customers. Some of these online technologies can even track shoppers from site to site to lure them back with what’s known as retargeting ads — promos targeted to what that shopper has looked at before, but didn’t buy. Smart shelves with sensors can light up price tags in an aisle with a consumer’s preferences.

2 ROBOTS

Amazon and other retailers have long used robots in warehouses to help package and ship orders. But what about interacting with shoppers? Home improvement retailer Lowe’s is testing robots in one of its San Jose, Calif., store.

3 INTERACTIVE MIRRORS

High-end clothing stores are testing interactive mirrors in dressing areas, a key place where shoppers decide whether to buy or not. Neiman Marcus has installed these outside fitting rooms to offer shoppers a 360-degree view of what an outfit looks like. Shoppers can make side-by-side comparisons without having to try them all on.

4 AUGMENTED REALITY

Home improvement retailers have been embracing virtual reality and augmented reality to help shoppers figure out ways to decorate homes or apartments. With such technologies, shoppers wear a headset to picture how something might look overlaid on top of their real kitchen or living room. Home Depot’s augmented reality app lets customers upload a picture of the room on their phone and thumb through thousands of paint and stain colours.

5 SELF-CHECKOUT

Amazon’s new experimental grocery store in Seattle, opening early this year, will let shoppers buy goods without needing to stop at a checkout line. Sensors track items as shoppers put them into baskets or return them to the shelf. The shopper’s Amazon account is automatically charged.