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Dubai: ‘Store of the future’ to offer custom shopping experience with 'magic' mirrors, AI tech

Majid Al Futtaim opens ‘Store of the future’ in Dubai, first in region.

Majid Al Futtaim, one of the largest retail groups in the region, on Monday launched ‘store of the future in Dubai, offering an immersive and personalized experience to shoppers by combining the physical and digital shopping concept.

Launched at Mall of the Emirates in partnership with technology major Cisco, the first of its kind store in the region is divided into four sections and equipped with dozens of smart and magic screens to help as well as suggest shoppers what to choose and what suits them the best.

For the people visiting the store of the future, it’s a unique shopping experience backed by VR and AI technologies. This unique hybrid shopping experience starts the moment you enter the outlet. With the help of data being collected by AI and computer vision, shoppers are recommended products based on their gender and preferences.

For example, if you pick a product, they’re showcased on a big screen while the magic screen shows the price, size and colours of the products and how it looks on you. Interestingly, the smart screen can be split into three parts for three different shoppers for an easier shopping experience.

When you pick a product to try, the magic mirror can take transform from a physical to a digital experience. And when the product is scanned, it gives complete details about the colour, price and sizes.

“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.

“Due to the safety concerns, it is very important for us to see masks whether you’re wearing masks or not, how many shoppers are visiting the store etc,” she added.

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 as the entire world is moving towards digital, this is just the beginning and more will come.

“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.

He revealed that the group will introduce some advanced brands and they have already received some requests.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com