Shopping in a big department store can quickly devolve from a simple errand to an odyssey filled with frustration. What section do they put the bath towels in again? Is there a route to take that avoids the chemical attack of the perfume aisle on the way to kitchenware? Where do they put the on-sale jackets?
There are many of us feeling this way. A recent Google survey found that 66 percent of shoppers couldn’t find the information they were looking for, and 43 percent reported leaving a brick-and-mortar store frustrated.
Also, athough we arrive armed with smartphones, the in-store experience has mostly been a dumb one. Even the most tech-savvy shoppers can do little more than search websites for information and coupons while standing in the middle of a store. Because GPS doesn’t work indoors, we can’t navigate the aisles without first locating one of those big stationary maps that themselves aren’t all that easy to find.
But GE and Qualcomm Atheros are developing a new “intelligent” technology that’s opening up two-way communication indoors. It turns out that the solution to a real-time customized shopping experience can be turned on with the flick of the switch and fits inside commercial GE LED light bulbs.
