Gadgets Instead of Humans
Ironically, some retail outlets seem to be looking to technology to replace their tech sales reps. I read with some amusement about T-Mobile's plans to use Microsoft's new Surface technology to help sell phones in its stores. Surface is basically a PC with a touch-sensitive display. No mouse, no keyboard--think Minority Report (or iPhone's Safari browser, for that matter) meets a coffee table. The idea, from T-Mobile's perspective, is that you'll place a handset on the Surface table, which will recognize it from a barcode-like ID tag and provide information about product features, service plans, and the like. But I can look at computer images and find sales information at home. If I take the time to visit a store, I want to try out actual products and maybe get answers to a few specific questions (see "Buy and Cell" for more on purchasing cell phones).
Automation appears to be creeping into all sorts of shopping experiences. Motorola sells supermarkets a Windows CE gadget to hand out to shoppers who are willing to scan in the bar codes of items they buy (so the stores save on checkout clerks) and receive electronic coupons that target their shopping history. That's the new face of service these days. But somehow, I don't think the results will measure up to that nice guy at Fry's.
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