Advances in technology have drastically changed the way consumers shop, both in-store and online. The last decade ushered in the rise of the direct-to-consumer brand and companies built nearly entirely on social media. Offline, stores began experimenting with new forms of tech to lure shoppers back into brick-and-mortar spaces as foot traffic declined and locations shuttered in the face of the retail apocalypse.
While some took off better than others — buy-online-pick-up-in-store continues to expand while the obsession with chatbot concierges has tapered off in recent years — each development changed the way consumers shop. Here’s a closer look at 12 of the biggest innovations in retail technology over the past decade… Business Insider