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September 7, 2008 12:37:01 AM CDT

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Shopping's Future Is High-Tech

Posted Jan 18, 08 11:43 AM CST in Business,  Technology 

(Newser) – Retailers need to go higher tech, adapting to cell phone use and virtual world shopping, said speakers at the National Retail Federation's annual conference this week, Reuters reports. One speaker noted that high-tech shopping is already reality in Asia, where Koreans buy McDonald’s by phone (it rings when their order’s ready) and Japanese shoppers scan groceries with their phones to check freshness.

The GM of a company that designs content for online worlds urged retailers to build virtual stores in communities like Second Life, saying these technologies would “change the way people shop.” But some retailers said worry over an economic slowdown has them tightening belts, leaving no room for high-tech dabbling. The NRF predicts 3.5% growth in retail sales this year—the lowest since 2002.

Source Reuters

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Coldwell Banker Mercer Island, Wash., $3.1 million listing is the first real estate property to be marketed in the 3D virtual world of Second Life. Visit www.coldwellbankervirtualhome.com to see the real...   (Associated Press)
Cars.com Takes Car Shopping Mobile Makes Car Shopping Easier for People on the Go. (PRNewsFoto/Cars.com)   (Associated Press)
Online goes 3-D. Brookstone's new 3-D virtual store, powered by Kinset technology, makes shopping online more realistic and interactive than ever. (PRNewsFoto/Brookstone, Inc.)   (Associated Press)
Tory Jones uses the text messaging function on a cell phone to message a friend from a park in Broomfield, Colo. in this June 3, 2004 file photo. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, file)   (Associated Press)
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cell phones  • online shopping  • retail shopping  • National Retail Federation  • retail technology


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