Abstract
This paper presents a longitudinal study of instore shopping technologies (ISTs) and their contribution to the phygital fashion store. It builds on studies of store design in an omnichannel environment and the use of ISTs for distinctive customer experiences (CX). The aim is to understand changes in fashion retailing brought about by ISTs and the extent to which they influence CX in the customer journey. The research was undertaken in three stages, in 2014, 2019 and 2024 in three of London’s West End shopping streets. The Methodology was replicated in each stage, using observations of store interiors and in-depth, qualitative interviews with 25 consumers. The findings provide retail designers with new knowledge about consumer-technology interactivity, retail sectoral differences and the rate of change in the use of ISTs. In conclusion, the paper highlights the evolving relationship between retailers and consumers, consumer agency and the shopping experience.
Keywords
Technology, retail, experience, phygital
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.943
Citation
Kent, A., and Alexander, B. (2026) Consumer-facing technologies in stores: A longitudinal study of their impact on customer experience, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.943
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Consumer-facing technologies in stores: A longitudinal study of their impact on customer experience
This paper presents a longitudinal study of instore shopping technologies (ISTs) and their contribution to the phygital fashion store. It builds on studies of store design in an omnichannel environment and the use of ISTs for distinctive customer experiences (CX). The aim is to understand changes in fashion retailing brought about by ISTs and the extent to which they influence CX in the customer journey. The research was undertaken in three stages, in 2014, 2019 and 2024 in three of London’s West End shopping streets. The Methodology was replicated in each stage, using observations of store interiors and in-depth, qualitative interviews with 25 consumers. The findings provide retail designers with new knowledge about consumer-technology interactivity, retail sectoral differences and the rate of change in the use of ISTs. In conclusion, the paper highlights the evolving relationship between retailers and consumers, consumer agency and the shopping experience.