The "Internet of Things" is on everyone's lips, not only as it sounds much more modern than former "M2M" buzz word that has come out of age – albeit incorrectly. Machine-to-machine communication is in principle broader in its sense, since its principle is not limited to the Internet as the only communications path. Anyway, if you take the hype out of the discussion, IoT has been with us for a long time. We can patiently wait until the fridge has taken over our intelligence and does the shopping autonomously. In the meantime, we let our smartphones communicate via Bluetooth with our trainers and smart bands, set up smart speakers to take control of our smart living. IoT will play a central role in our lives, including, and especially in brick-and-mortar retail.
This technology already allows us to deal intuitively and, if desired, with new products. The more technically demanding the product, the more important this type of interaction will become in retail. The optimal compromise between the presentation of a sophisticated product through text visuals and an "uncontrolled live test" is the guided product demo. In doing so, the customer learns the advantages of a product in a playful way through intuitive interaction. On this basis, any number of scenarios can be created so that each target group can be found. Yet, malicious users cannot reprogram the devices with the app running in a secure kiosk mode, leaving the demo fully functional also for the next customer to test it. In addition to image and sound, fragrance sensors, beacons, motion sensors, audience measurement and many other I/O components can be integrated into such an experience. Tying in the consumer's smartphone into this UX experience, does also the consumer to even share his experience via email or social media, or even better: make the purchase! Ask us for our ideas and references, we are happy to share best practice examples.