The problem with online retail is that thereâs no foot traffic. The problem with brick-and-mortar retail is that it demands staff, space and money â not easy to come by in uncertain economic times.
Enterprising sellers are instead combining the two, operating storefronts with no physical store. A twin helix of traditional window shopping and anti-social e-commerce, these small displays feature photos or samples of products that, when scanned with a smartphone, redirect shoppers to an online purchase site.
âMobile technology is changing the way retailers interact with customers at a faster pace than any other technology,â says Diane Brisebois, president of the Retail Council of Canada. âIt took 15 years for online shopping to become a mainstay; it might just take five for mobile.â
A âvirtual storeâ launched by Well.ca in April invited Toronto subway commuters to download an app that essentially turned their phones into shopping bags. It enabled people to scan the QR code beneath the image of a product, shown on a photographic representation of a drugstore shelf, which could then be purchased on the spot and shipped to their home.
