Designing the shopping experience is a large challenge that we're excited to watch the progress of, since nobody knows what it will really turn out to be. Recently Apple and Adidas have both proposed and are now beginning to advance new shopping experience designs that make very different bets on how consumers want to shop.
Apple's Reserve and Pick Up program—whereby you order online, then pick up the object in-store—isn't a new concept, with other retailers having gotten behind this much earlier; but I seize on it because Apple has a good track record for accurately providing experiences many people want to have. Their particular approach, particularly if BGR's assertion is accurate that you skip lines when you show up and pay with an iOS device, is predicated on minimizing time spent in the store. It presupposes the consumer researches precisely what they want to purchase online, doing all of their shopping calculations from their own computer. The store simply serves as a fulfillment point for that particular transaction.
Adidas is taking a different tack with their adiVerse Virtual Footwear Wall, a trial unit of which has recently been installed in an Adidas shop in London. The system consists of a large multitouch display that requires customers physically come into the store and play around with the thing. It's predicated on the decision-making process taking place in-store, and in that way maximizes in-store time. Seeing the video of it below, I think it's neat but am not 100% sold; in particular, having to start the transaction on one screen and then switch to a tablet seems a little clunky to me.