the technology of SHopping
New technologies have fundamentally changed the landscape of the retail industry. For Intel, the new era offers huge opportunities, but also important challenges. We worked with the tech leader to examine shopping from both the consumer and retailer perspectives. In-context interviews in the U.S. and China revealed the financial and emotional drivers of shopping and selling behaviors.
We found that many retailers are still holding on to pre-internet orthodoxies and that consumers have formed new expectations around accessibility, fairness, value, convenience, enjoyment, and productivity.
These expectations get expressed in four distinct types of shopping experiences: the journey, the therapy session, the mission, and sport. Through conversational interviews, we spoke with consumers about how each mode fits into their everyday lives and identified ways technology can better support them.
At the core of each of these shopping modes is the customer's desire to engage with retailers in authentic ways. We learned that it’s less about an efficient buy-sell transaction and more about building a relationship and having a compelling experience.
From these insights, we helped Intel create the priorities, strategies, and vision for a new customer experience built on a fluid and engaging information-sharing ecosystem.
