Robots, Digitally Enhanced Pop-up Store and RFID, Zara Adapts and Adopts Retail Tech

High Street Brand Zara Experiments With Robots and Launches Digitally Enhanced Pop-up Store in London.

This time last year we wrote about how Zara is using technology to solve a problem. Going all futuristic, in 2017, the Spanish store test drove high tech innovations that included using LCD screens in-store displays. They will also be introduced touch screens in the dressing rooms, which meant that customers were able to request a different size without leaving the comfort of your fitting room. Now 2018, they have taken a few more steps towards what is going to be the future of retail tech.

Zara
Zara has been using technology to solve a problem.

Firstly, they are introducing robots to their click and collect service. The high-tech solution promises to speed up the in-store pick-up process. The robots will fetch purchases from the back of the house by referring to a customer’s corresponding order, and then they bring it to a drop box where the customer can pick it up.

Secondly, Zara will be opening a digitally enhanced pop-up store in London’s Westfield Stratford shopping centre. It will be a 2,150-square-foot location that will feature both women’s and men’s clothing merchandise that is only available for online purchase. According to Pymnts.com, store employees will use mobile devices to help customers shop. Those who place digital orders before 2:00 p.m. can retrieve their orders the same day, while those who do so after the cutoff will have to wait until the next day. Customers will use a Bluetooth credit card terminal to pay for their items.

Retail Tech

Thirdly, the Spanish high street brand will feature a product recommendation system that works with a mirror in-store. The technology will allow shoppers to scan an item using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. It is a system that will show the customer what other clothing they can style with their selected apparel — and in the correct size!

With so much going on at Zara, including a Zara app that customers can pay for, these are exciting times for high street brands who are happy to adopt, adapt and move with the times.

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Founding Editor in Chief at FashNerd.com | editor@fashnerd.com | Website

Founding editor-in-chief of FashNerd.com, Muchaneta is currently one of the leading influencers writing about the merger of fashion with technology and wearable technology. She has also given talks at Premiere Vision, Munich Fabric Start and Pure London, to name a few. Besides working as a fashion innovation consultant for various fashion companies like LVMH Atelier, Muchaneta has also contributed to Vogue Business, is a senior contributor at The Interline and an associate lecturer at London College of Fashion, UAL.