Published: Thu 15 Sep 2022, 8:08 PM

Last updated: Thu 15 Sep 2022, 10:29 PM

Imagine walking into a seemingly empty store, browsing through and selecting items on a tablet, and then finding them in the trial room for you to try on. That is exactly the kind of shopping experience you will find with the opening of the region's first 'phygital' store in Dubai.

Opened by 6thstreet.com at the Dubai Hills Mall, the store brings together the best of the physical and virtual shopping experience, with over 10,000 items and a response time of just 3 minutes.

“We have taken a physical space and added a digital element to it,” said Dharmin Ved, CEO of 6thstreet.“We were thinking of creating of a 'wow' experience for our customers when we realised that there are certain elements, like the touch and feel and the instant gratification of shopping, that are only available offline. So we wanted to combine the two and create a one-of-its-kind shopping experience.”

Eager to try out the store experience, KT's Abdul Karim shopped for a product using the touchscreen. Even though the response time is 3 minutes, Karim got his product within seconds of placing the order.

With absolutely no products on display, the physical store of 6thstreet at Dubai Hills Mall looks very intriguing. Dotted with at least 20 touchscreens in the brand's trademark orange colour, a shopper can settle into the long couches in the shop to browse through thousands of items including fashion, footwear, handbags, accessories, and perfumes.

Once they add items to the cart, the user can try their clothes on in the automated fitting room within just three minutes.

The team behind the unique concept is Nanovo, an award-winning technology company specialising in creating digitized retail, that has experience in creating several such stores in different parts of the world.

“We have created over 30 stores in Europe and each time we keep learning,” said Piotr Badowski, Founder and CEO of Nanovo.“This is the first in the region, but we are sure that it has great applications here. Phygital stores are economical and easier to manage because brands don't need to have a vast space to display their collection.”

Co-founder Dariusz Sobczak said that when they designed the first store in 2018, it was unthinkable to have a trial room.“At the time it was a far-fetched idea,” he said.“But four years later, here we are; with an automated trial room as part of the first phygital store in the region.”

A phygital store can display 2.5 times more products than a regular store. It also requires less assistants to man the shop as almost everything is automated.

“With so many benefits of the phygital store, it is clear that the store is here to stay', said Ved.“It is a huge difference to us in terms of sustainability, and it is inevitable that more brands will turn phygital.

We are paving the path. We are taking the toughest step by creating the path and we are sure that many more brands will follow our lead.”

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