When Was the Last Time You Went a Whole Day Without Using Technology?

When was the last time you went a whole day without using technology, be it a mobile phone, iPad etc? So why are retailers so apprehensive to unleash something that has the potential to engage us, thus building them more business? The short answer is, are you ready for this - technology is moving too fast for retailers.

Take a moment to think about this - when was the last time you went a whole day without using technology, be it a mobile phone, iPad etc? It's a hard one...

Bill Gates once said, "We're changing the world with technology" and he wasn't wrong. The way we run most aspects of our lives has changed, whether we're connecting with friends, doing business, or shopping, we use technology.

Shopping is perhaps the biggest area where technology has made a difference.

We are now able to shop in a number of ways, including mobile, online, in stores and on social media sites, such as Facebook. Technology has made the experience within these shopping channels more advanced and enhancing.

As our craving for technology evolves, retailers must progress to keep up with our growing appetite.

Research revealed by eBay has shown that new technologies, such as interactive TVs, smart devices (tablets/iPads) and image recognition, have the potential to increase retail sales by £2.4 billion by 2014.

This figure is astoundingly high and retailers must be racing to launch these new technologies, wouldn't you think?

Well apparently not... The research also indicates that over a third of retailers are hesitant to install new technologies, with most citing a lack of understanding as the reason.

Why are retailers so apprehensive to unleash something that has the potential to engage us, thus building them more business?

The short answer is, are you ready for this - technology is moving too fast for retailers.

Technology is developing at a rapid pace and we will see many new initiatives launched this year, which will change the way we interact with gadgets.

For example, 3D-motion control is set to transform the way we use computers. The technology, created by Leap Motion, allows us to control a computer screen with our fingers and hands by swiping and pointing at the screen.

Regardless of the technology on offer, retailers aren't happy to invest in it because they don't understand it.

But that's no help to you or me when we want the best shopping experience available.

So how will this affect us?

If retailers aren't keeping up with our needs, we'll become numbed by what's currently on offer and we'll take our business elsewhere.

Let's take a look at HMV. For a business that sells entertainment products, the experience it offers is hardly entertaining.

Instead, the stores are bundled with racks upon racks of DVDs and CDs.

So how could HMV do this differently?

The retailer could introduce video walls to its stores. Positioned in a prominent place, the video would jump out at us as soon as we stepped foot in the store. The video could play the latest DVD trailers and music videos.

Ask yourself this - what would you find more enticing, a rack full of DVDs titled "latest releases" or a big video screen showing newly released films and music?

January was a close call for HMV and I'm sure I'm not the only one to think we had nearly seen the last of them.

Nevertheless, HMV has been given a second lifeline and only time will tell whether the retailer will ship up or shape out.

Us shoppers can be quite a powerful bunch when we want to be. As seen with HMV, if we're not getting what we need we won't stand for it, no matter how much heritage the retailer has.

Technology will never be complete, it's constantly changing and we want it in our lives daily. For us, technology couldn't move fast enough.

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