Every few months, another technology in retail sifts to the top of the pile and starts to generate interest. This time it’s 3D printing.

3D printers can be used to make items with intricate designs such as jewellery and sculptures

The futuristic-sounding manufacturing method has caught the imagination of some key people and the resulting buzz has now trickled through into retail.

Retailers could use 3D printing to allow customers to design products such as toys

The technology behind 3D printing is not new. It has been around since the 1980s, but it’s only in the last five years that it has broken free of the engineering sector into other industries.

Its main uses so far have been in high-value manufacturing sectors. Companies such as aeroplane manufacturer Boeing have benefited and the aerospace, automotive, dental and medical industries have been the most prolific users. But as prices start to come down and more materials are tested on 3D printing machines, some retailers are starting to consider how the technology might be of use to them.

As Tesco’s innovation ambassador Paul Wilkinson said in a recent blog post on the subject: “We’re pretty excited about 3D printing and we’ll be working hard to see how we might be able to use it to make things better for customers. We won’t stop there though and, as always, we’re constantly seeking out the genuinely ‘next big thing’.”

Maker movement

3D printing works with any material that can be melted down into a liquid and that then solidifies again at
room temperature. The most common method is to build the product one layer at a time on a platform using jets of ink, plastic or some other viscose material. The jets move up as each layer is completed, and the shape of the object begins to emerge.

Gartner analyst Pete Basiliere says the growth of 3D printing began about five years ago, when two trends emerged in the US to support its commercial genesis. First, 3D printer manufacturers started to work on developing products that were smaller and cheaper, with the aim of producing something that would eventually be attractive to consumers. Second, technology researchers in the US started a movement that would lead to more consumers and businesses being willing to build their own products. “There was the beginning of a ‘maker movement’ where people were willing to build things for their own use,” Basiliere says. “The result is we have had an incredible amount of hype around the consumer side of the market.”

3D printers haven’t yet become the high-selling consumer product some hoped they would be, although this shouldn’t be ruled out as future incarnations get smaller and cheaper. There are several reasons for the slow development. 3D printers are difficult to set up - complex software is needed - and when designing the object to be made, the user needs to be able to think in 3D when looking at a 2D display. Finding the right material to use is also not as simple as nipping into WHSmith to buy a printer cartridge.

Personalised products

But the technology has gained traction nonetheless, as research and development departments in medicine and business have cottoned on to its potential. “The hype exceeds the reality from the consumer perspective, but on the entrepreneur’s side there are numerous cases where organisations are using 3D printers to make prototypes or design changes to products,” Basiliere says. “It’s a well-established, albeit not widely utilised, manufacturing method.”

Retailers at the higher end of the value chain could look into the potential of customisation with 3D printing, which US dental company Invisalign has made good use of. The business, which makes teeth-straightening braces, takes a digital scan of a patient’s mouth and then prints a mould of his or her teeth that can be used to make perfectly fitting braces. In a similar vein, one of the more developed uses of 3D printing in retail is the production of personalised sex toys by US businesses.

For Tesco, the potential lies in the kind of products and services it could enable managers to provide in store.

Wilkinson said in his blog: “I’m making no promises, but there are a few things I can predict. We already print photos and posters in many of our larger stores, so why not other gifts and personalised items? How about letting kids design their own toys and then actually being able to get them made.”

There is also the potential, he adds, for retailers to hold digital catalogues of spare parts for certain products, or to provide a service that fixes a broken product by digitally scanning it and then printing a new version.

In Japan, meanwhile, shoppers have used 3D printing to produce models of their own faces in chocolate. But while the gimmicky nature of the gift is likely to appeal to consumers, not every retailer is convinced of the suitability of 3D printing.

For Angus Thirlwell, co-founder and chief executive of specialist retailer Hotel Chocolat, the method doesn’t fit with the business’ proposition. He says: “Top-quality chocolate is a delicate and noble product, delivering nuanced flavours and sublime textures. We remain highly sceptical that a 3D printer will preserve these.”

Early stages

Basiliere admits 3D printing in retail is still nascent, but points out that in the US, Staples offers a 3D printing service and sells the Cube printer, one of the cheaper consumer models.

He notes: “My sense is that while it’s still difficult for retailers to sell the printers, because people can’t afford them, they do have an opportunity to use the technology as a service.” Which is no bad thing in a world where stores need something special to make them stand out against online. Basiliere says: “I can envisage a portal in the store where a person can customise an item.” He adds this will increase awareness of 3D printing, and perhaps help lead to greater take-up on the consumer side.

“The problem is that people are struggling to understand how you are going to get a toy out of that machine. By showing people the process, they understand it. Right now they have a hard time understanding the concept.”

3D printing still has a way to go before it’s as ubiquitous as conventional 2D printers, but it has reached a tipping point. It’s at a point where R&D bosses and technology whizz kids are able to envisage what kind of role it could play in their businesses - an argument could be made for applications in many categories, so retail will be watching this space.

How retailers can use 3D printing

Retailers could use 3D printing to allow customers to design products such as toys

Retailers could use 3D printing to allow customers to design products such as toys

  • 3D printing is a way of manufacturing products. It uses jets of ink, plastic or any other material that can be melted and then hardened at room temperature to build each product. The jets fire out the liquid and the product is built on a platform layer
    by layer.
  • Retailers could use the technology to manufacture personalised toys or gifts.
  • The printers could also be used to provide services in store, such as fixing broken products. The products could be digitally scanned then remade using the printer.
  • The technology is now at the stage where experimentation is possible - chocolate has been used in the machines, for instance, allowing shoppers to create personalised products.