The good news - retailers can make even more profit by not having to pay wages to human beings. The downside - who needs human beings for most jobs? Robots can and will be able to do almost anything humans can. So, no more employment. How does 50% unemployment sound to you? 75%? The purpose of robots is to replace human beings! That is a very bad thing in the long run. Because those who can afford to buy and employ robots won't have much purpose for people, will they?
Written By: David J. Hill
What do you get when you mix robotics, mobile technology, fashion, and hassle-free shopping in a brick-and-mortar store? Paradise…at least in the eyes of men who hate shopping.
Hointer is a startup selling men’s designer jeans that launched in Seattle last November and offering customers a 21st century shopping experience. The store has no salespeople, confusing signs, or stacks of clothes to riffle through to find the right size. Instead, lines of clothes in hundreds of styles hang for you to browse through. When you find something you like, you scan the QR code on the tag, pick your size on the Hointer app with your smartphone, and your selection automatically drops into a chute in a changing room from the German robot-operated stockroom. Once you find everything you want, you put your items in a bag, checkout by swiping your credit card at a station, and walk out the door…just like that.
It’s as close to the ease of shopping online in the physical world as you can get.
Geekwire posted a video on YouTube showing a firsthand account of shopping at Hointer:
Written By: David J. Hill
Hointer is a startup selling men’s designer jeans that launched in Seattle last November and offering customers a 21st century shopping experience. The store has no salespeople, confusing signs, or stacks of clothes to riffle through to find the right size. Instead, lines of clothes in hundreds of styles hang for you to browse through. When you find something you like, you scan the QR code on the tag, pick your size on the Hointer app with your smartphone, and your selection automatically drops into a chute in a changing room from the German robot-operated stockroom. Once you find everything you want, you put your items in a bag, checkout by swiping your credit card at a station, and walk out the door…just like that.
It’s as close to the ease of shopping online in the physical world as you can get.
Geekwire posted a video on YouTube showing a firsthand account of shopping at Hointer:
Since launch, the startup has continued to reimagine the shopping experience by adding tailoring of purchases with free, next-day custom alterations. A color-coded system has been introduced to help customers quickly find their category of clothes (such as big & tall, relaxed, classic, or slim fit). Real-time data and user ratings provide instant feedback on which styles are hot and which need to be pulled. Clothing tags are now NFC-enabled, so phones with NFC technology only need a simple swipe to pull up the desired style. Shirts and belts have also been added to the inventory, and magnetic clothes hangers provide a sleek and convenient way to look through the clothes on display.
Read more at - http://singularityhub.com/2013/02/28/high-tech-clothing-store-hointer-employs-robots-and-mobile-technology-instead-of-salespeople/
