Stores going from physical to phygital

What if I told you that you could experience technology while shopping at a physical store? Yes, you read that right! The world is going “Phygital”. This term has been coined for the amalgamation of experiencing technology with physical shopping. Phygital shopping is the new and more personalized way of shopping in comparison to the traditional way to shop. 

With AR and VR blooming into the bigger picture, phygital is the way to go for brands. With retailers trying hard to provide one on one experience to their customers, the phygital technology helps in boosting their experience.

With technology giving us something new every day, these phygital stores will prove to be game changers in the near future. It saves people from the hassle of standing in long queues to zero human interaction while shopping. 

A large number of surveys show that the costumers need the physical experience of seeing and feeling items when they shop. Adding a dash to technology can up the shopping game for retailers. 

For instance; the retail giant Amazon was one of the first brands to make themselves phygital. They launched Amazon-Go stores at various places in the USA. This was a phygital shopping experience where shoppers could see clothes, feel them physically and add them their Amazon cart. After which the products can be purchased at check-out with digital transaction without the need of a cashier! Nike and lush are also some of the few brands that have gone phygital. 

Today, when brands are promoting the phygital technologies, it somewhere only caters to only a certain, technologically abled section of the society. The older generation might find it difficult to make use of this and it could damage their shopping experience forever. 

There is an ongoing debate on this. While phygital stores are obviously helpful, they reduce the chances of employment for the people. While it is a one-of-a-kind experience, it caters only to a certain section of the society. So, what’s your take? Physical or Phygital?