Five Technologies Expected to Reshape Commerce the Most Over the Next Five Years

Introduction

Scope of the Digital Consumer

Digital Consumer Voice of the Industry snapshot

Five Technologies to Watch

New technologies continue to reshape consumer-facing industries

AI is expected to impact business the most in the next five years

Cloud remains top tech for planned investments in next five years

Spotlight: Artificial Intelligence

Spotlight technology: artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is umbrella term for several popular technologies

Impact of artificial intelligence on commerce

AI expected to lead to improved customer engagement in near term

Case study: Google Shopping leverages AI to enhance its search results

Case study: McDonald’s aims to leverage AI to personalise drive-thru

Case study: Shiseido launches AI-powered skin care system

Case study: Nike is leveraging AI tech to better predict future demand

Spotlight: Internet of Things

Spotlight technology: Internet of Things

Impact of the Internet of Things on commerce

IoT is expected to most impact customer engagement in near term

Case study: Quip offers subscription service for replacement heads

Case study: Whirlpool creates service portals around appliances

Case study: HP’s shifts toward service-orientated subscription service

Case study: GE appliances integrated with Amazon’s ordering platform

Spotlight: Cloud

Cloud provides a flexible, scalable and low-cost option for data storage

Case study: Etsy moves to cloud to accelerate AI experimentation

Case study: Alibaba Cloud enables companies to quickly shift online

Case study: IKEA deploys Microsoft tools to drive in-store collaboration

Spotlight: Robotics/Automation

Automation is less complex and more predictable than AI

Impact of automation on commerce

Case study: Café X paves way for automated foodservice

Case study: Alibaba’s Flyzoo incorporates robots in a hotel

Spotlight: Augmented and Virtual Realities

Spotlight technology: Augmented reality/virtual reality

Impacts of augmented reality/virtual reality on commerce

AR/VR expected to most impact shopping experience long term

Case study: Apple brings AR-friendly apps to the developed world

Case study: NextVR live streams put the viewer in the front row

Case study: Starbucks uses AR to explain brewing methods to consumers

Case study: Pinterest launches feature to enable users to try on lipstick

What to Expect

Lack of clear business use case slows adoption of new technologies

Biggest challenge with new tech is not getting caught up in the hype

Expected take-off of various commerce use cases by different tech

About Voice of the Industry

About Euromonitor’s Voice of the Industry survey series

Industry of focus within company of Voice of the Industry respondents

Geographic focus of Voice of the Industry respondents

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