India’s retail landscape may witness a major change in light of the COVID-19 pandemic as retailers feel the industry will be more tech-driven with contactless consumption, low-exposure shopping and avoidance of crowded stores becoming the new norm. More retailers will be forced to adopt technology because of this and only tech-savvy stores will see footfalls.
The future of Indian retail will be omni-channel offering customers a seamless shopping experience, whether they are shopping online or in a brick-and-mortar store, most Indian consumer brands feel, according to an Indian media report.
“Contactless consumption is going to become the new norm. This will lead to a widespread use of technologies like magic mirrors that support touchless shopping,” said Manish Kapoor, chief executive officer of Pepe Jeans India, in a webinar organised by the Retailers Association of India (RAI) recently. Magic mirrors are 3D virtual fitting rooms with realistic cloth simulation.
Apart from magic mirrors, brands and retailers will turn to virtual reality and augmented reality to create that three-dimensional layer. Contactless shopping can include QR codes, mobile payments and tap and go technologies.
