In the 2020s the high street in the UK saw a significant decline in footfall as online shopping became ever more popular. Some companies tried to counter this trend by using shops as a means of providing experiences, as opposed to shopping. Samsung KX was one example, the shop wasn’t designed for products to be purchased, but as a showcase of Samsung product excellence.
Over the next few years many businesses tried to move their sales and operations online choosing to close physical stores. Some of those that succeeded opened similar experience shops that were used as a showcase of their products. However, this style of visiting shops to experience products hands-on gradually lost appeal as people chose to make quick purchases online relying on hands-on reviews by influencers.
Due to the increased dominance of Amazon, 2038 saw companies competing in new and innovative ways to stay relevant. Toy-Tech, a company that sold technology and toys for children and adults, invested in a virtual reality store to complement their website.
Initially, Toy-Tech was the first company to generate a working virtual reality store. Consumers were able to log-in via the website, access the app and then ‘walk’ around a virtual shop seeing the products they wanted. Products were lined on shelves like standard shops and each had a barcode that you would scan. As part of the heads up display you would see a running total of your basket and be able to bring up other menus where you could see a map of the store, allowing you to fast-travel from location to location, other recommended items and any deals that were available.
Although Toy-Tech’s attempt initially seemed popular, the novelty soon died as it was easier to just visit their standard website and browse through that. Plus, it didn’t offer the same social experience of real-world shopping that consumers had enjoyed.
The format later returned when another company produced a similar experience, except this time you could go inside with a group of friends and explore together. You could see your friends, although they were just default computer models. This idea didn’t take off as quickly as previously, as people already knew what to expect.
In 2053 A significant change to the format took place. This time it wasn’t an individual shop, but a real estate company. Asher Cohen wanted to expand Cohen Property Group into the digital world to try to capitalise on the money that was being spent online. He came up with the idea of creating a virtual shopping centre.
After 10 years of development, securing several initial businesses and marketing, Cloud Mall opened to the digital public. It was an immediate public and commercial success.
Since the Sunset Era shopping for pleasure has seen significant decreases. There is still a consumer culture, but because the job market is far more volatile people are increasingly frugal. Organisations have moved away from offering virtual shopping centres as there is less social drive for it and higher costs. Due to the evolution of technology and an increasingly popular modding culture there is now an increased number of shops on the high street selling new and second-hand technology, upgrades, modifications and implants.
Sunsets on Britannia 