The shopping experience is becoming more interactive. Customers are seeking more information, and their expectations are increasing. Interactive fitting rooms are just one of the innovations that are starting to appear at high-end retailers.

ShopWithMe is an interesting example of a high-end retailer. Formed in 2011 as OrderWithMe, an online shopping portal, ShopWithMe set up retail operations in San Jose, Dallas, Las Vegas and Chicago that is changing the way customers interact with products. The company offers Smart Fitting Rooms, one-tap Express checkouts, a Pixel Wall which doubles as a smart display, and more.  

ShopWithMe has embedded RFID into its products and fixtures, with beacons set up to deliver personalized messages and suggestions to shoppers through their mobile devices.

Jason Chen, retail evangelist for Shop With Me, spoke about the company’s approach to the retail market.

“We believe in the convergence of online retail and brick and mortar,” said Chen. “In 2014, we partnered with Zappos to develop a smart store. For example, we set up customized dressing rooms. We created our Reactable Table, where, if you pick up an item, it provides additional data and content on a touch screen.”

The Reactable table was created in conjunction with Inmotion and Impinj. The Reactable table is a 55-inch tabletop display that reacts to products that are placed on it. This information can range from possible pairings to product data.

Erika Bitzer, Impinj’s senor director, corporate marketing and communications, said that Inmotion first launched its smart table in 2010.

“Inmotion developed this smart table, which ShopWithMe calls ‘The Reactable,” Bitzer said. “They first started working with the table in 2010, and had two systems at the 2012 Olympics.  The table with 3m 40 point touch has been in the mix since 2010.”

Frederick Bleckmann, founder and creative technologist at Inmotion, said that working with ShopWithMe allows Inmotion to create innovative new technologies.

“We share their passion for pushing the experience forward for shoppers and brands, and we’re fortunate to have a partner like Impinj, whose technology platform makes it all possible,” Bleckmann added.

The key to bringing The Reactable to life is RAIN RFID technology. Impinj supplies the RFID technology, and partners produce the inlays and labels, using printing as part of their processes.

“Impinj’s RAIN RFID technology and platform are critical to enabling an experience like this table,” Bitzer said. “Our partner, Inmotion, and ShopWithMe are able to leverage the Impinj platform to develop and deliver transformative innovations like the Smart Table to the retail environment. ShopWithMe brings a unique, bold vision to the market – reimagining what the in-store experience could be for shoppers – and our partner, InMotion, brings that vision to life.”

The Reactable table offers advantages to customers and the retailers as well.

“The system brings products to life with motion, rich content, suggested pairings, etc.,” said Bitzer. “Shoppers can learn about a product by simply selecting it from the translucent display table.  Selecting merchandise from the table triggers interactive product information on the display, engaging with and delighting shoppers in a way that was never possible before.”
 
From the retailers’ perspective, RFID offers an insight into how customers relate to the products.

“These systems not only track inventory, but also behavior,” Chen said. “We like measuring ways that the customer interacts with products. We can track how they interact, where they interact. If you see that the majority of interactions are in the front of the store, then you need to drive traffic to the back of the store.”