Majid Al Futtaim, the regional retail group, has launched Store of the Future in Dubai, offering an immersive and personalised experience to shoppers by combining physical and digital shopping concepts. Launched at Mall of the Emirates with technological support from Cisco, Majid Al Futtaim’s store is divided into four sections and equipped with dozens of smart and magic screens guide shoppers in their choices and to select purchases that suit them.
VR and AI
The shopping experience is supported by VR and AI technologies. With the help of data being collected by AI and computer vision, shoppers are recommended products based on their gender and preferences.
Once an item is picked up, it is showcased on a screen showing its price, size and colour. The smart screen can be split into three parts for three different shoppers. A ‘magic mirror’ can transform the fitting experience from a physical to a digital experience, showing the shopper how it will appear on their body.
Physical and digital
“To offer a seamless shopping experience, when you walk in, the AI system, with the help of data analytics, can make out the gender of the shopper, his/her buying behaviour. Hence, it starts to display what appeal to the shopper. It will bring physical experience for people who still like to touch and feel but also the online concept which is converted into a hybrid model which we are living in today. So it’s an immersive new experience, using all technologies using augmented reality, AI, big data analytics etc.,” says Reem Asaad, vice-president at Cisco in the Middle East and Africa.
Asaad noted that the data collected about the shoppers is anonymous and the system will just have the summary of the data.
Fuad Sharaf, managing director, UAE Shopping Malls, Majid Al Futtaim Properties, said “Store will definitely evolve. We’ll keep reviewing and improving the store as we move forward. Plus, the data is key for us to serve the customers. We need to evaluate and better understand the customer behaviour for example what they want, how long they stay in the store and what are their preferences,” added Sharaf.
Majid Al Futtaim has previously launched digital initiatives to enhance advertising and to track products through the manufacturing process.
