B-Reel, a Swedish cell phone company, is working to change the current methods of ecommerce and bring it into the future. With 3LiveShop, consumers are engulfed in a live online store that works as a service for customers of telecom operator 3. The company has collaborated efforts with Teenage Engineering, a Los Angeles-based studio, to develop an ecommerce hardware backend system. With this equipment, the days of dragging products to a shopping cart are coming to a close.
A Multi-Touch Interface Built on Flash
The system has been designed with a multi-touch interface built on the Flash platform. The system is so advanced; it is able to recognize multiple fingers on the screen at the same time thus allowing a sales representative to interact with products, all of which appear on the customer’s screen as well. The screen is similar to the one used by Tom Cruise in the movie Minority Report. The products are displayed as separate streams which ensure the best possible presentation.
Digital Interaction in a Real-time Environment
The main idea is customers can sit at a computer with a webcam and interact with a sales associate in a real-time environment. By moving their finger, the associate can drag products onto the screen so the customer is able to view the cost, color, and all other aspects of the product. Therefore, this sales associate is similar to a personal shopper, only in a digital environment.
Anonymous Online Shopping
However, many customers enjoy the anonymity of shopping online, which could be the primary reason they do not shop at a brick-and-mortar store. At the same time, this could simply be a matter of adjustment and adaptation. If this is the case, B-Reel could be the pioneers of a major boom of advanced, multi-touch interfaces that maximize interaction with customers in a digital world.
How practical is this Application of Technology
This begs the question of practicality. The display and multi-touch system are incredible. However, is the application of this technology actually practical to the standard online shopper? This is one question that has been left unanswered, only time will tell.
Once this system is test and fully perfected, it appears as if it could have many other more useful applications besides online shopping. However, until that day, the technology enthusiasts will be chomping at the bit to get their hands on this piece of equipment.
