Virtual clothing and robot shop assistants to transform our high street by 2030
- The Big Bang Fair 2017 experts reveal how technology will radically alter our shopping habits
- UK on the brink of ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ as lines are blurred between physical and digital
Experts from the UK’s most innovative tech companies have today predicted a transformation of the British high street, as technology revolutionises the way we shop. From AI assistants, to in-store displays and virtual products, by 2030, high street shopping will be a radically different experience.
The Future of Shopping collates articles from retail technology experts including Holition, REWIND, Flock and Smartzer. Each has a key role to play in shaping the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ - a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres[1] - and how it can change the way we shop.
Within the next decade, we will shop in high street stores from the comfort of our own sofa through virtual reality and the shop floor as we know it now, will become a thing of the past. Changing rooms will disappear as we try clothing on using VR, and drones will drop our online purchases into our back gardens.
Other developments include:
- Virtual reality headsets that gauge your mood and reflect how you’re feeling in the lighting and atmosphere of a “virtual shop”
- Augmented reality will bring real time immersive experiences of products being made – e.g. visiting a cocoa farm to watch cocoa bean picking and processing for your hot chocolate
- AI assistants will know you better than you do and will pre-empt purchases. If you are off on holiday soon, they will show you swimwear, for example
- Immersive make up experiences to try on make-up through a smartphone
- Holographic fashion shows will be held in never-before locations
Young people are being urged to find out more about the impact of technology on our future and the role they can play in its development by attending The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair, the UK’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK.
Russell Freeman, CTO, Holition, says: “It’s ironic that the fashion industry is renowned for its innovation, yet the way we shop is so old fashioned. From having to use a changing room, to being offered limited space in a shop, the whole experience is generic.
“The future of shopping offers personalised experiences for people, dependent on their taste and mood and at Holition we see it as the humanising of technology. Augmented reality, virtual reality, drone delivery and artificial intelligence will completely change the way we shop. It’s an exciting time - on the cusp of a revolution - and The Big Bang Fair will inspire young people to bring to life all that technology has to offer.”
Paul Jackson, Chief Executive of EngineeringUK, organisers of The Big Bang Fair, says: “It is the young people studying maths and science today who will drive this ‘revolution’ in the future. They will build on advances in artificial intelligence, drones and virtual reality and develop other innovative technologies that will shape our day-to-day lives.
The Big Bang Fair has brought together inspiring companies to share their vision of the future. Visitors to The Fair can experience many of these technologies first hand and discover for themselves how exciting a STEM career can be.”
The Big Bang Fair is free and runs from Wednesday 15 March to Saturday 18 March. Schools will be attending on Wednesday-Friday, with families encouraged to come down on Saturday 18 March, where the activity will be focused on careers and aimed primarily at 11-14 year olds. For more information and tickets, go to: www.thebigbangfair.co.uk.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The Big Bang Fair worked with some of the leading technology businesses to identify future shopping habits and trends. The culmination is a report, the Future of Shopping, which is made up of four articles penned by four different inspiring businesses.
Images of some of the technology referenced such as drones, are available.
For more information, please contact:
Lucy.witt@claremontcomms.com or 07789069559
Matt.seel@claremontcomms.com or 07584 206 982
About The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair
- The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK. It takes place from 15-18 March 2017 at The NEC, Birmingham, and will celebrate and raise the profile of young people’s achievement in science and engineering and encourage more young people to take part in science, technology, engineering and maths initiatives and consider careers in these areas, with support from their parents and teachers. www.thebigbangfair.co.uk
- School groups are invited to visit the first three days of The Big Bang Fair and families on the Saturday, in particular parents and carers of 11-14 year olds. Young people will leave enlightened about how science and engineering feature in everything they wear, eat and do. A number of apprentice, graduate and experienced engineers and scientists will be on hand to quiz and young people will have the opportunity to discover how science and maths can lead to a great career. The Big Bang Fair hosts the finals of the prestigious Big Bang Competition.
[1] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/
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