????隨著科技的不斷發展，根據消費者之前的購物經歷和興趣所在，以及消費者行為的可追溯性，如今的零售商很容易便能確定消費者未來的需求。將來（甚至現在已經實現），商家將研究消費者的一言一行，從中尋找銷售機會。或許，我們在走親訪友的時候，手機便會收到潮水般的折扣和優惠信息。手機（或其他移動設備）將能判斷主人何時口渴，并通過導航將主人帶到有機冰沙的銷售攤位。

????或許用不了多久，人們就會在電視上看到一位女演員，腳上穿的鞋看起來就像為自己量身定做的一般。而且，消費者再也不必耐著性子上網，或者去實體商店（但愿這種事情不要發生），只需要對著屏幕晃動手機就可以立即買下這雙鞋。而有趣地是，你的鄰居這時也正家中收看同一檔節目，但不同的是，她看到的卻是另外一款最適合她的鞋子。

告別實體商店為時尚早

????未來并不會完全像動畫片《摩登家庭》所描述的那樣，到處都是冷冰冰的機械和機器人，以及海量的數據。實體店仍不可或缺。人類會繼續繁衍生息，但技術的變化也必然會給我們帶來影響。例如，汽車修理商已經開始為客戶安裝視頻鏈接，使客戶能夠對發動機的使用情況進行監控（有關此項服務內容詳情，可通過Google搜索“trust car mechanics”查詢）。

????實體店提供的服務是在線購物所難以企及的——比如實體店可以提供實實在在的衣服供消費者試穿。西班牙Diesel品牌已經開始提供帶有Facebook鏈接的試衣間，消費者可以拿著自己試穿的形象在朋友之間進行調查。比如，在在線試衣網站gotryiton，消費者可以就自己相中的衣服向社交群體征求意見。

????店內社區的作用也日益明顯，因為零售商店可以通過培養真正的社區，建立消費者忠誠度、信任度，從而促進銷售。而且，店內社區不必通過在線工具才能實現。比如多次獲得環法自行車賽冠軍的蘭斯?阿姆斯特朗，在自己的家鄉德克薩斯州奧斯丁市開辦了一家名為Mellow Johnny's的自行車店，商店為騎乘自行車上下班的人提供免費淋浴和免費課程，甚至還設有咖啡廳，騎車一族在參加商店組織的團體自行車騎行之前，可以先在這里補充能量。而在另外一些商店，社區成員甚至已經成為決定商店生產和銷售產品的關鍵要素。比如英國家具零售商Made便由消費者在線投票來決定商店應該生產哪個款式的家具。這種方式徹底顛覆了傳統的自上而下、設計師至消費者的模式，代表了一種全新零售結構的興起。

????Given the way technology moves, it's easy now for retailers to target us with specific goods that we will want as we move through our lives, based on our previous purchases and our interests, and the fact that our behavior is often traceable. In the future -- and sometimes even now -- our every step will be studied for opportunities to sell, and offers and coupons will flood our phones as we wander from neighborhood to neighborhood. The phone (or whatever device replaces it) will know when you are thirsty, and guide you towards an organic smoothie cart.

????Soon, an actress may appear on your TV screen wearing a great pair of shoes that seem perfect for you. Rather than waiting patiently to go online or, God forbid, visit an actual store, you'll be able to wave your phone at the screen and buy the shoes instantly. Curiously, your neighbor, watching the same show in her own apartment, will see a different pair of shoes that suit her perfectly

Farewell physical store? Not so fast.

????But the future does not belong entirely to a Jetsons world of machines and robots and data aggregation. Stores will still matter. People will still exist. But we'll all be affected by these changes. For instance, car mechanics are already starting to install video links so customers can monitor what they are doing to their engines (Google "trust car mechanics" if you want to know why.).

????Stores offer things that the online experience just can't match -- like actual clothes to try on. In Spain, Diesel stores already offer dressing rooms with Facebook links so you can poll your friends on the looks you're trying on. Websites like gotryiton let you poll your social community for opinions on the outfit you want to buy.

????In-store communities are playing a bigger role, too, as retail outlets build loyalty, trust and sales by fostering genuine communities. It's not necessarily done with online tools, either. Repeat Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong owns a bike shop called Mellow Johnny's, in his hometown of Austin, Texas, that offers free showers for bike commuters, free classes, and even a café where you can recharge before going on one of the shop's group bike rides. And community members are even starting to determine what gets made and sold at some stores. Made, a U.K. furniture retailer, already lets customers vote online for which pieces of furniture it should manufacture. This is a disruption of the classic top-down, designer-to-consumer model, and the start of a genuinely new retail hierarchy.