As of: March 13, 2024, 8:01 a.m
By: Katarina Amtmann
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A company from Hesse with branches in Frankfurt and Nuremberg is currently carrying out a special test in the Franconian city - this is how it should continue.
Nuremberg - Shopping online is often more convenient, but what is missing is advice from experienced staff.
You usually have to go to the store for this - until now.
Both worlds could soon be more closely connected.
Hologram salespeople in retail: a solution to the shortage of skilled workers?
Julie Singh's work currently bears some resemblance to Star Trek.
As a hologram on a screen, it gives advice to people who are interested in designer lamps or high-quality armchairs.
Of course, it doesn't seem as real as in the famous science fiction series.
To do this, she enters a small studio in the corner of a furniture store in Nuremberg and then appears as a three-dimensional image on a large screen, in high resolution and in real time.
According to experts, what is an initial test could be a reality in retail in a few years.
The furniture mail order company Cairo sees great potential in hologram technology.
In addition to its online shop, the medium-sized company from Groß-Umstadt in Hesse operates two branches in Frankfurt and Nuremberg and would like to experiment with so-called pop-up stores, temporary shops, in other cities.
A major challenge is the lack of skilled workers, says board member Gero Furchheim.
“What sets the stores apart is the experienced staff.” His plan is therefore to bring sales consultants like Julie Singh into the temporary stores in order to be able to advise customers live and almost like a real conversation.
A saleswoman as a hologram in the store.
© Daniel Karmann/dpa +++ dpa-Bildfunk +++
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Test project in Nuremberg: hologram saleswoman in store
In the test project in Nuremberg, Singh's hologram only has to travel 300 meters.
Your image is transmitted to a screen in a nearby innovation lab, where test subjects can try out the new technology.
They should then be asked about their experiences.
Furchheim and his team want to find out, among other things, how holographic advice can best be implemented and how accepted it is by customers.
The aim of the project, financed by the Günther Rid Foundation, is that other retailers can also benefit from the findings, says Furchheim.
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But how realistic is it that holograms will soon lead sales conversations in stores?
According to the Canadian manufacturer ARHT, the technology is already being used at trade fairs and conferences.
There are also initial advances in hologram telephony: using virtual reality glasses, it is possible to see three-dimensional holograms of the person you are talking to or of objects.
Companies can already use the software from the Slovakian company Matsuko, which works with several network operators.
However, it will be some time before holograms appear in private conversations.
The Spanish telecommunications provider Telefónica and its German subsidiary O2 are planning to enter the market in 2026.
Julie Singh, sales consultant at furniture mail order company Cairo, demonstrates sales advice using hologram technology.
Singh acts from a studio in the furniture store and is then transmitted to the customer being advised as a three-dimensional image on a large display, in high resolution and in real time.
The idea behind it is to transfer sales advice to temporary stores in order to be able to advise customers live and almost like in a real conversation.
© Daniel Karmann/dpa +++ dpa-Bildfunk +++
Hologram technology is still a niche product due to costs - relevant for medicine
Holograms will be rare in retail in the near future.
“Hologram technology is currently more of a niche thing due to the costs,” says Martina Simon from the working group for services in the supply chain at the Fraunhofer Institute IIS in Nuremberg, which provides scientific support for the project in Nuremberg.
"This is something that you could come across in five to 10 years, when the technology might have become a little more affordable." She also believes this technology could be useful in medicine - the doctor, a medical hologram on "Star Trek" , sends greetings.
According to Furchheim, the hologram technology costs around 40,000 euros, plus around 10,000 euros for the studio's equipment - something that a medium-sized company with 70 employees cannot simply manage.
“We probably wouldn’t have done it without support,” says Furchheim.
For years, the trend has been towards a combination of online and stationary retail, explains Stefan Hertel from the German Retail Association.
“The goal is for customers to get the best of both worlds.” Oliver Schmitz from the market research company NIQ/GfK also confirms that online is not a competitor to stationary retail, but rather complements it in many product areas.
Although online retail is growing strongly in many categories, the share of sales for everyday goods such as non-perishable food is still 8 percent, and for technology and other durable consumer goods it is 35 percent.
“It’s not an either/or.
In the future, you will have to play on all channels in many markets,” says the expert.
Customer needs are very different: Test to hologram saleswoman
However, a challenge will be which target group the retailers want to serve.
“If you focus on everyone, you have to be careful that you don’t become a dealer for no one,” says Schmitz.
The German Trade Association also emphasizes that the needs of customers are very different.
“There are very technology-savvy customers who like to get involved in innovations.
On the other hand, there are very stable people who would rather stick to the tried and tested,” says Hertel.
That's why, for example, there are checkouts where you can quickly scan purchases yourself, and so-called chat checkouts where people can talk to each other.
The project in Nuremberg is also intended to answer the question of which people would like to be advised by a hologram salesperson.
“So far the feedback has been enthusiastic,” says Furchheim.
The test runs until March 17th.
And will holograms soon be in use in Cairo?
“In the summer we will talk about the results and discuss the next steps,” says Furchheim.
However, it is clear that we will have to wait until there is more optimism and a better consumer mood in Germany
.
(came/dpa)
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