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Pandemic Retail Tech Trends That May Be Losing Their Luster

Retailers’ live shopping channels, curbside pickup and robot delivery struggle to stay relevant

Published

3 years ago

March 1, 2023

Shop! Association

iStock, ablokhin

As the pandemic fades from the spotlight, several cutting-edge technology trends in retail may also be falling by the wayside, Modern Retail reports. Examples: Instagram said that last month it is ending its live shopping feature that lets users tag products in livestreams beginning in March. Around the same time, Walmart announced it was closing its last two pickup-only stores. And several months earlier, Amazon slowed testing of Scout, its home-delivery robot.

Those actions reflect three larger trends taking place in the post-Covid era, Modern Retail concludes:

Retailers’ live shopping channels could be DOA
Curbside pickup might get kicked to the curb
Autonomous robotic delivery remains problematic

So, what’s the takeaway for retailers in all this? “It’s really about making sure that the decisions you make when it comes to technology are brand right,” Insider Intelligence Principal Analyst Suzy Davidkhanian told Modern Retail.

Click here to read the full report.

Related Topics:Featured Technology trends

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Shop! Association

The Shop! Association is a global trade association dedicated to advancing the retail environment and experience industry. Its purpose is to empower members to innovate at retail by connecting them with education, insights, and events that support collaboration and forward-thinking solutions. From ideation through implementation, Shop! engages its diverse membership to co-create innovations that help shape the future of retail worldwide. Central to its mission is fostering an inclusive culture that embraces diverse voices and upholds high standards of ethics and transparency. Since 1956, Shop! has empowered its members to innovate at retail through education, insights and events. Learn more by visiting shopassociation.org. Interested in joining the Shop! Association? Reach out to Dina Meindl, Membership Services, for more information today! [email protected].