Now that the frenzy of holiday shopping is over, I can’t help but think about how technology will change our shopping experiences. We know the way we shop has already been changed by technology, but it is about to get really interesting!
We can look forward to more home assistants – think of the Amazon Echo, with the ability to “take your verbal order” and fulfill it with a simple command. And, we’ll also have robot assistants in stores, smart appliances that will restock themselves, and product or grocery deliveries via drones.
But, the one technological advancement I think will have the greatest effect on our shopping experiences is 3D printing.
If you have been paying attention beyond the times it shows up in a TV crime drama, you know that 3D printing is alive and well in the world today. If you haven’t been paying attention, try searching “3D printer” on Amazon.com and check out the results.
The technology to replicate an object by laying down layers of raw material according to a reference design has gained a foothold in companies like Ford, which printed the engine cover for its 2015 Mustang, and GE, which is now or soon will be printing jet aircraft fuel nozzles. Companies are printing candy, clothing designers are using customer body scans to create and print custom apparel and a company in China is printing houses.
That search on Amazon also demonstrates the availability of 3D printers for private use. Sites like Thingiverse offer a wide array of things you can print in the comfort of your home, including plastic replacement parts of all sorts, toys and home décor. And these are just a handful of examples of how 3D printing is being used.
This is society-changing stuff, and it could dramatically change the way we shop.
An historic parallel might be the changes in culture and the economy brought about by Henry Ford’s assembly line production of the Model T. That innovation put buggy whip manufacturers out of business and laid the foundation for the Interstate Highway system and associated gas station fast food markets.
I think 3D printing has the potential to bring about even bigger change—such a massive change that the way people shop, buy and interact with vendors will look completely different from today.
Some of the big changes (that will lead to other changes) include:
• Invention. When anyone with access to a printer can make a thing, the invention or the design has the highest value, not the thing itself.
• Decentralization. The assembly line will largely become an antique as goods are manufactured using digital designs and printers.
• Customization. Uniqueness will become the norm as any kind of manufactured product can be specifically tailored to an individual’s preferences for reasonable cost.
Because of these changes, shopping malls may disappear or morph into a different kind of shopping experience.
I can imagine stores that are filled with kiosks where a salesperson works with customers to design their purchases for immediate or later printing and pickup. Designs themselves will likely become personal, as companies sell the tools and the knowledge needed for consumers to design and create items on their own and in their own homes.
See what I mean? Retail shopping is about to get very interesting. Since we are a social species, and part of our shopping experience includes interacting with other people, I just wonder what will happen when much of that interaction becomes unnecessary. I’m not sure we’d ever get to the point where “outside” shopping would completely go away because it is such a social event, but it will definitely look very different than it does today.
What do you think will happen with the future of shopping?
https://www.dezeen.com/2013/04/24/iris-van-herpen-interview/
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