Content by AT&T Business

Imagine this: You are walking down a busy city street. You pass one of your favorite clothing stores and see a window display for the brand’s new seasonal collection. You like the styles but wonder whether this year’s trendy colors will really look good on you.

Then you catch a glimpse of yourself in the store window. It’s not your reflection—it’s an augmented reality (AR) video image on a high-def screen. In the video, you appear to be ‘wearing’ the new fashion line you just saw on display.

You stand there, checking out your augmented image from different angles. You like the style of the clothing, but that Burnt Sienna color does clash with your skin tone.

You walk into the store and explain your concern to a polite associate who guides you to an AR-equipped mirrored kiosk. “I think our Summer Sky color would really bring out the blue in your eyes,” he says.

He taps a few times on his point-of-sale tablet and instantly you see yourself in the AR mirrors ‘wearing’ the new style in a color that suits you perfectly.

“I’ll take it!” you exclaim. You complete the transaction with your phone using near-field communications and walk out of the store confident that your new blue outfit will arrive at your home tomorrow and that it will make you look like a million bucks.

“Shopping is so much easier and more fun these days,” you muse as you push through the doors back onto the buzzing streets.

Augmented Reality in Retail Picks Up Speed with 5G

The preceding scenario may sound like science fiction, but AR technology for retail already exists today and will likely gain traction over the next few years thanks to 5G wireless communications and edge computing technologies. With the high speed and low latency these technologies will provide, retailers will be able to accelerate the rollout of AR shopping experiences.

“Since the beginning of 2019, we have helped customers in the retail industry evaluate using 5G to create unique, interactive, and immersive customer experiences,” says Shiraz Hasan, VP, Global and Industry Solutions Marketing at AT&T Business. “Retailers are curious about how 5G can enhance the customer experience like trying on clothes with AR or picturing furniture in their living rooms with VR.”

Since the pandemic hit, Hasan says retailers have shifted gears, focusing on how to use 5G-related edge computing capabilities and 5G signals to create better shop-at-home experiences for their customers. One intriguing future possibility could be virtual shopping trips via 3D holograms. “Imagine being able to invite a customer into an immersive holographic replica of your store to have a conversation and show off your products and services,” suggests Hasan. “Whichever high-end retailer figures this out first would have a real competitive edge.”

5G + Edge Computing = Transformative Speed and Performance

Even though 5G is fast and flexible, network design also plays an important role in ensuring the smooth operation of advanced technologies like augmented reality mirrors. That’s why AT&T Business developed an enterprise solution called Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) – a new kind of network architecture capable of bringing the power of cloud computing inside the four walls of a retail store.

“The promise of the Internet of Things is becoming more and more real with the advent of 5G,” says Hasan. “Not only is 5G using mmWave (5G+) much faster than previous generations of wireless technology, its data capacity and lower latency can be real game changers.”

Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) moves the computing of traffic and services from a centralized cloud to the edge of the network and closer to the customer. Instead of sending all data to a cloud, the network edge analyzes, processes, and stores the data, which makes processing faster.

By splitting data processing between the cloud and in-store computers, 5G allows MEC-related data processing to work much faster. For example, instead of sending data from an AR mirror to a distant data center, MEC can bypass the Internet and use 5G to communicate with a server inside the store. Because the data only has to travel 100 feet instead of 100 miles, MEC allows advanced data-heavy technologies like AR mirrors to render smooth, photo-realistic images of shoppers wearing whatever color clothing they wish. With the power of 5G and MEC, retailers can offer their customers more efficient, personalized shopping experiences unlike anything they could experience online.

Beyond giving shoppers the ability to “try on” existing fashions in an AR-enabled mirror, retailers could eventually let their customers design custom accessories such as a necklace or bracelet, then use 5G to send the data wirelessly to an in-store 3D printer that would fabricate the item right away. 3D printing technology exists today. 5G+’s ability to rapidly transport large data files could encourage more retailers to integrate 3D printers into their stores and give their customers unprecedented abilities to customize and fabricate products on the spot.

MEC and 5G can enhance store operations in other ways. For example, they can make it easier for physical retailers to test different marketing messages and offers with in-store digital signage. Online retailers have long used A/B testing to identify and refine their most effective messages by seeing which ones generate the most click-throughs. By contrast, physical retailers have been stuck with the time and expense of printing physical signs, paying staff to swap out signage, and then wondering which signs were most effective. With 5G and MEC, brick-and-mortar retailers can push rapid updates onto in-store digital signage to test new messages or strategies and discover which ones are most effective at attracting customer attention and driving sales.

5G’s Massive Connectivity Lets Retailers Maximize IoT Impact

From wearable devices and smart cars to industrial equipment and household appliances, the Internet of Things (IoT) is growing fast. By 2025, IoT Analytics estimates that there will be more than 21 billion devices worldwide with active Internet connections.¹

5G can connect millions of devices – far more than previous generations of wireless technology.² 5G’s ability to handle massive connectivity means retailers can utilize the huge reservoir of IoT devices to implement automated checkout or foot traffic analytics for store layout optimization.

Another of the most promising IoT use case involves ‘video intelligence’ – the process of applying AI and machine learning (ML) to footage collected by Internet-connected video cameras. In the COVID-19 era, video intelligence can help retailers make sure their curbside pick-up operations run as smoothly as possible. Video intelligence can automatically send alerts to employees when customer vehicles arrive or depart, provide near-real time updates on parking space availability and drive-thru occupancy, and let customers know about expected wait times.

Retailers also can use video intelligence to enhance their digital signage by analyzing the impact of different video messages on store foot traffic. In this way, video intelligence lets brick-and-mortar retailers fine-tune their offers to maximize desired consumer responses, thus leveling the playing field with e-commerce competitors.

On the safety side, IoT video intelligence can help retailers keep tabs on compliance with occupancy restrictions or monitor whether employees are practicing proper social distancing. Intelligent video systems paired with thermal analytics capabilities can help automatically check and report on the body temperature of anyone who enters a given location, allowing retailers to intervene if someone with a fever tries to enter their store.

The Sky Is the Limit

How else could the retail sector benefit from the computing power, high data capacity, and low latency of 5G technology? 5G could help allow retailers to train employees remotely in near-real time, deploy autonomous robots in stores and warehouses to assist with inventory management, or even in the future deliver food via flying drones and other autonomous vehicles. Customers with access to 5G networks could eventually use virtual reality headsets to test drive a new car or redecorate their homes – all while lying on the beach or flying across country.

“The future technology capabilities of 5G far exceed our imaginations,” says Hasan. “In the next 10 years, I believe that AR and virtual reality will become the norm in how people shop. The whole concept of stock outages will disappear as 5G, IoT sensors, and blockchain technology come together to streamline supply chains and logistics. I predict that shopping will become more proactive than reactive. As more and more connected devices come into our lives, your washing machine can keep track of how much detergent you use, then use the 5G network to communicate with the retailer you have chosen to automatically place an order when it senses your supplies are close to running out. The retail industry is primed to take advantage of this shift to proactive commerce.”