Apple Watch set to change the way you shop
If you thought the Apple Watch was just an expensive way to keep time and record your fitness activity, you’d be wrong.
While its accurate time dial and fitness apps are perhaps two of the most talked about features, the watch has a whole lot more to offer – it also has the power to change the way consumers shop.
The watch, launched in March, will be available to pre-order from 10th April. The first of the watches will go on sale in Apple stores on 24th April. Customers will be able to use the Apple Watch using the touchscreen and Digital Crown. Users will be able to touch and tap the screen and access various features via swipes.
As Apple Watch users won’t be spending more than a few seconds glancing at their device, apps will need to be distilled to their bare minimum to ensure an efficient and enjoyable user experience.
Retailers keen to be part of the revolution
The biggest online store, Amazon, has already seen the potential of the watch to change the way we shop and is now working on an official Apple Watch app. The app will enable its users to purchase goods from Amazon.com right from their wrist. And it’s not just retail giants like Amazon getting on board either…
Specialised apps making shopping easier and more enjoyable
One company, Retale have developed an app just for shopping, designed with the Apple Watch and its users in mind. With this app, customers will get to browse for good deals, find local stores, get discounts and much more – all with a user-friendly and minimalist experience.
Apple Pay, changing the way we checkout
If you move your Apple Watch anywhere near a store’s payment terminal, Apple Pay will activate automatically – using your credit card to pay for your purchases. This will make shopping quicker, easier and more convenient. Because of this, more and more stores will be updating their stories with Apple Pay terminals and iBeacons that trigger Apple Watch. In reality, this means that Apple Watch users who’ve ‘liked’ recipes on certain cooking apps would be pointed towards the right ingredients to make that meal should their supermarket invest in iBeacons.
Computerworld say that only the retailers who embrace this digital transformation will survive. Switched on customers will benefit from a better experience with this new technology and will be able to find better deals. Considering this, they’re not likely to go back to their old shopping habits.