4G Could Transform Shopping

4G Could Transform Shopping

On-line shopping has taken off to such an extent that going into an actual bricks and mortar shop has almost started to feel outdated when you could make the same purchase without ever leaving your house.

But with the rise of mobile devices and the high speed internet connections provided by 4G, physical stores could enter the 21st century by combining high street shopping with internet enabled features.

This can take a variety of forms and it’s something which some retailers, such as Asda, are already experimenting with.

Read more about 4G  : What is 4G ? An Easy to Follow Guide

The Telegraph recently spoke with a representative from Asda about its new app, available for iPhone’s and Android handsets. The app at its core lets users build a shopping list and it was inspired by customer feedback stating that while paper shopping lists were often forgotten they always had their phones.

However Asda hasn’t just replicated a paper shopping list, its app also has advanced features such as the ability to scan the bar-code of a product in order to add it to the list or use voice dictation to build the list.

Items on the list are then sorted intelligently, so that items found on the same aisle as one another all appear together.

The app is set to become even more innovative with future updates, one of which will suggest recipes based on what you have in your list and another will use augmented reality to navigate you to products within the store.

Not all of this requires a data connection, but some does and the superfast 4G connections that are now available in many places can rival home broadband for speed.

Asda has even partnered with EE to bring free Wi-Fi to its stores, ensuring that customers can make the most of any online features of apps to aid their shopping experience.

We’ve previously written about how EE is working to bring 4G access to various sites in the UK, including the intu Trafford Centre in Manchester.

Read : EE Brings Open 4G Network to the intu Trafford Centre

As more sites receive 4G and high speed mobile internet becomes more readily available nationwide more and more opportunities for things like Asda’s app become feasible, combining the ability to come home with products the same day with much of the convenience of online shopping. With innovations like this the high street may have some life in it yet.