Smart shopping business models: 30 innovative ideas and variants that have emerged around the new shopping in recent years

🛒💡 In recent years, numerous innovative business models have developed in the retail sector that are revolutionizing the shopping experience through the use of technology and new concepts. Here are some of the most notable developments:

Innovative business models in retail

🛍️ Autonomous and cashierless stores

Just Walk Out technology

Pioneers like Amazon and Alibaba have introduced stores where customers can simply pick products off the shelves and leave the store without having to pay at a checkout. Payment is made automatically via an app or account.

Unmanned Smart Stores

These stores are completely autonomous and do not require any staff. Often found in busy areas or on public transportation, they allow customers to select products, pay, and enter or exit the store without human interaction.

🛒 Smart shopping carts

Technologically advanced shopping carts

These shopping carts are equipped with touch displays, cameras and sensors that automatically recognize and add products to the digital shopping cart. They also provide navigational aids within the store.

🌐 Phygital trading

Combination of physical and digital experiences

Phygital retail integrates online and offline shopping experiences to provide an interactive and personalized customer journey. This includes smart fitting rooms and the use of augmented reality (AR) to provide additional product information.

⏰ Japanese-style convenience stores

Conbini concept

Japanese convenience stores (Conbini) offer a wide range of products around the clock and are increasingly incorporating new technologies such as cashless payment systems and automated services to further increase convenience.

Suitable for:

• Conbini Shopping in Japan: Did you know? The 24-hour shops, so-called Konbinis, are an adaptation from the USA

🌱 Sustainability and technology in the supermarket

Energy efficient technologies

Supermarkets rely on LED lighting, energy-efficient refrigerators and photovoltaic systems to reduce their carbon footprint. Digital price tags and inventory management systems help to use resources more efficiently.

📱✨ The digital retail of tomorrow: More convenience for customers

These innovative approaches show how retail is not only becoming more efficient but also more customer-friendly through the use of technology. The combination of convenience, personalization and sustainability is at the heart of these developments, which aim to shape the shopping experience of the future.

🏪✨ Retail has evolved rapidly, driven by technological innovations and changing consumer needs. The idea of ​​“smart shopping” is at the heart of this development and encompasses a variety of business models that aim to revolutionize the shopping experience. These models utilize advanced technologies to maximize comfort, efficiency and customer satisfaction. A look at the 30 innovative ideas and variants shows how diverse and dynamic modern retail has become.

🏪 Influence of Japanese Conbinis

A notable role model for many of these new business models are the so-called Conbinis in Japan. These 24-hour shops have proven to be extremely successful by offering a wide range of products and services around the clock. They combine the convenience of a mini-market with the efficiency of a discounter and have served as inspiration for the advancement of convenience stores worldwide.

Suitable for:

• Conbini Shopping in Japan: Did you know? The 24-hour shops, so-called Konbinis, are an adaptation from the USA
• Smart Shops 24/7 & Stores 365: Closing supply gaps with Grab & Go technology, vending machines (regiomats) and checkout self-checkout systems

🚀 Technological innovations in retail

1. Grab & Go

These stores allow customers to pick items directly from the shelves and leave the store without having to pay at a checkout. Billing takes place automatically via sensors and cameras that record the purchase.

2. Autonomous Retail System (ARS)

Fully automated systems use artificial intelligence (AI) and sensors for purchasing, billing and inventory management. This technology reduces staffing requirements and increases efficiency.

Suitable for:

• Autonomous Retail Systems – Autonomous systems for retail (Smart & Walk-In Stores)

3. (Smart &) Walk-In Stores

These stores offer a seamless checkout-free shopping experience through the use of IoT (Internet of Things) technologies and advanced sensing.

4. Just Walk Out Shops

Similar to Grab & Go, these formats allow customers to take products with them while the payment process is carried out automatically in the background.

5. Pick & Go Shops

Customers select products and leave the store while billing takes place digitally - another variant of the automated shopping experience.

6. Self-checkout stores

Here, customers scan their items themselves at special checkouts and pay independently, which reduces waiting times.

7. Scan & Go

Using handheld scanners or smartphone apps, customers scan products while shopping and pay directly via the device.

8. Mobile Checkout

This method allows customers to pay via mobile devices without queuing at the checkout.

9. Cashierless Stores

Stores without cashiers use sensors and AI to automatically record and bill purchases.

10. Autonomous Stores

Fully automated stores often operate without staff and use robots and AI for operations and inventory management.

11. Smart Stores

Stores equipped with IoT technology offer personalized shopping experiences through customized offers based on customer preferences.

12. Unmanned points of sale

Modern vending machines or kiosks require no staff and still offer a wide range of products.

13. Drive-Thru Retail

Customers can pick up goods via a drive-thru without leaving their car - ideal for quick purchases.

14. Curbside Pickup

Goods ordered online can be picked up curbside from the store - a convenient solution for those in a hurry.

15. Click & Collect

Customers shop online and pick up their order in store – a combination of online and offline shopping.

16. Pop-up stores

Temporary sales spaces are often created for a limited time or special occasions to present new products or brands.

17. Dark Stores

These stores are not accessible to customers and serve as fulfillment centers for online orders, allowing for quick deliveries.

18. Virtual Stores (VCommerce)

Shopping environments in virtual reality or online platforms simulate a store layout for an immersive experience.

19. Augmented Reality Shopping

AR technology is used to visualize products in the real environment - helpful in decision making.

20. Mobile pop-up stores

Mobile sales units such as sales trucks change location regularly - flexible and adaptable to different markets.

21. Personal Shopping Services

Personal shopping advice is offered either in-store or online to better meet individual needs.

22. Shop-in-shop concepts

Sales areas within larger shops or department stores offer brands the opportunity to present their products directly.

23. Subscription-Based Purchasing

Regular delivery of products on a subscription basis provides convenience; Showrooms can be used for product presentations.

24. Social Commerce

Direct shopping via social media combines shopping with social exchange – particularly popular with younger target groups.

25. Automated Sales Points (Vending Machine Stores)

Advanced vending machines offer a wide range of products 24/7 in accessible locations.

26. Micro-Fulfillment Centers

Small, automated warehouses near cities enable quick delivery or pickup of online orders.

Suitable for:

• How micro-hubs and micro-fulfillment logistics centers drive smart city solutions for spare parts logistics and consumer goods logistics

27. Blockchain-based retail

The use of blockchain technology ensures secure transactions and transparency in the supply chain - a growing trend in retail.

Suitable for:

• XR & Metaverse Gateway Technologies 2024: 2D Matrix Code, WebAR or WebXR and Blockchain Technology – Use for V-Commerce

28. Express Stores: Small stores focus on quick shopping with a limited assortment of commonly requested items.

Experiential retail

Stores offer more than just products; they integrate workshops or interactive displays to enhance the customer experience.

30. Peer-to-peer retail platforms

Physical locations enable transactions between private individuals - a concept that brings sharing economy principles to retail.

🔮 Future of Smart Shopping

The future of smart shopping promises even more innovation with the potential to further transform the retail sector. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and augmented reality will continue to open up new opportunities to personalize the shopping experience and make it more efficient. Additionally, sustainability trends could lead to more companies adopting eco-friendly practices to minimize their environmental footprint.

These developments clearly demonstrate that retail relies not only on technological advances, but also on a deep understanding of changing consumer needs and preferences. Companies must remain flexible and be willing to adapt quickly to succeed in this dynamic environment. Smart shopping will therefore not just be viewed as a trend, but as an integral part of a future-oriented retail strategy.

Suitable for:

• New shopping: The Grab & Go concept (Just Walk Out Shops / Walk-In Store / Pick & Go Shop)

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