There is no doubt we are heading to a future where the physical and the digital world start to intersect with each other more and more. Early Monday morning I saw this piece of news that shows that we are getting closer and closer to this reality. Adidas today launched a new kind of in-store window shopping experience with a big giant screen that allows you order clothing and other products. Here is how they describe it in their press release.

The new storefront window is a fully functioning virtual store with life-size products. The intuitive interface of the touch-screen window lets shoppers explore, play and drag life-size products they are interested in directly into their smartphone for easy and convenient purchase from adidas NEO online.

By visiting a simple URL via their smartphone and typing in a one-time PIN, the shopper’s mobile becomes interlinked in real time with a shopping bag on the window, showing a live view of its contents. Any product dropped into the window’s shopping bag instantly appears on the mobile. The shopper can edit product details, save products for immediate or later purchase and share with friends through social media or email.

Shoppers can also play with a life-size digital model showcasing NEO’s fashion range in a fun and engaging way. By touching hotspots on the window the shopper can make the mannequin show product details, interact with the product and make playful actions and movements.

The new technology is being uses as part of a six-week pilot test at the adidas NEO Label store-front in Nürnberg. The implications of such technologies on the “future of retail” are going to be pretty far-reaching. For starters, the idea of what is a retail store could shift towards more experiential. It would be good news for companies such as LA-based startup, Oblong which is in the business of making screens and devices for such large immersive experiences.

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