THE COOLEST PHYSICAL RETAIL PLAYS OF
2023
RTIH brings you its top ‘future of bricks and mortar retail’ tech launches and deployments from the first six months of the year.
EE EE has opened a new flagship store, The EE Studio, located in Westfield London, White City. Focused on connectivity and technology solutions, the 4,230-square-foot location will also serve as a hub for the local community to work, learn and play. The launch forms part of EE’s new strategy, which, the company says, “seeks to reinvent the role of retail in the telco industry, putting innovation, personal experience, and community front and centre”. The Studio leads the way for the roll-out of EE’s new Experience stores, the first of which are due to open in Manchester Trafford Centre, Cardiff, and Bluewater in the coming months. It features a changeable digital window canvas that lets
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August- October 2023 · Retail Technology Innovation Hub
customers see the latest product launches and in-store events before they step inside. Shoppers can also scan a QR code on the shopfront to bring to life an AR experience that will welcome them to the Studio and encourage them to head inside and explore. People will also get the opportunity to build and visualise their own personalised connected home through a ‘connected home digital tool’ and real life ‘room sets’. This includes a living room with superfast broadband and connected home technology, a smart kitchen that features a range of smart cooking appliances, a kid’s bedroom that showcases products and services to help with children’s learning and keep them safe online, and a home office with technology to support with online security and working from home.