Technology reshaping the retail experience

The thesis deals with the influence of digital technology on retail in relation to the customer: how it affects their communication and interaction with the retailer or the whole shopping journey. First, history of retail up to the arise of e-commerce, current retail's global situation and situation in the Czech Republic is briefly summarized. Then specific aspects of brick-and-mortar and online stores are presented on the two respective typical shopping journeys. The core of the thesis is to determine the key trends, which are explained, followed by the description of technologies and presented on the specific examples of real-world solutions. Those trends include different means of goods handover (delivery, pickup or different self-service models), personalization and customization, natural language communication, virtual and augmented reality or robotization. The aim of the thesis is to define the direction in which retail will later evolve and what steps traditional retailers have to take in order to stay competitive. The thesis therefore synthesizes aspects with trends which demonstrates how trends try to solve problematic phenomena using technology. The conclusion includes a generalized conception of how retail will look like in the future, particularly a determination of two basic concepts..