It is striking that the customer experience inside the average British shop has barely changed since supermarkets arrived.

One of the most striking aspects of the retail industry is that the customer experience inside the average British shop has barely changed since supermarkets arrived. And that’s despite huge changes in security, back office systems and point-of-sale technology, and despite the introduction of internet shopping.

With the exception of one or two outliers such as Argos, the model of a self-service environment with staff manning tills has remained mostly unaltered for decades, stubbornly resisting the march of technology.

However, it is possible that the in-store experience is about to undergo a dramatic change. It’s always difficult to predict the future - especially the future of the retail industry - but it is highly conceivable that within five years, the way customers browse and check out within stores will be fundamentally different. Technology is finally invading the high street.

Already we can see augmented reality technology such as ‘virtual fashion mirrors’ in many clothes shops, allowing customers to see what they look like in new clothes without physically trying them on, and to share the pictures via social networks.

Elsewhere, the ability to receive targeted offers, browse and purchase via in-store mobile apps will become more widespread across all retail sectors. Consumers will be able to browse and make purchases from shop windows when the store is closed or vacant using touch-based screens. Increasing numbers of high street outlets will become either showrooms for home delivery purchases, or depots for click-and-collect.

Put together, these changes could amount to a revolution in the high street. There are solid reasons why several technological changes should arrive at once, and should arrive now. Firstly, the retail industry has been squeezed for a long time. According to figures from accountancy firm RSM Tenon, 4,839 retail businesses became insolvent between the start of 2009 and the third quarter of 2012. Currently 11,934 businesses - 13% of the industry overall - are listed as ‘at high risk’ based on their balance sheets. A squeezed industry is forced to innovate or die, but innovations aren’t immediate, and many are only emerging now.

The pressure to innovate comes at a time when several technologies capable of changing the in-store experience are maturing. Smartphones now account for nearly two thirds of all mobiles sold in Europe and North America, meaning that QR codes and phone-based checkout systems have a huge potential audience. Augmented reality technology is maturing and becoming widely accepted among consumers. Today’s 18-year-old was born in 1994, three years after the world wide web first became publicly available. They expect technology to infiltrate every part of their lives; they are unlikely to be fazed by a virtual fashion mirror - in fact, they embrace it.

The invasion of technology has already started. Self-service tills are now widely accepted in chain stores. Increasingly shops are integrating the latest technology, including Apple Stores which allow you to book appointments online and where mobile device-equipped staff roam around freely. Similarly, Ann Summers recently launched an augmented reality mobile app that allows customers to superimpose an image of the lingerie they are browsing on an image of themselves.

The next few years could see this extend across the high street. Technology is about to change the in-store experience, and the idea of flicking through clothes on a rail or books on a shelf then taking your purchase to the till will seem ancient.

  • Jason Trigg, chief executive, Cardinal Group