Shopping in future ...

The shopper of the future will have so much more consumer power than today ... Typically today people might use a price comparison tool online at home or work before going out to buy a particular item - in future they will have much better intelligent tools in their pocket or worn about their person that provide them with dynamic information as they shop.  The consumer will be better placed than the retailer to know about the availability, pricing and other parameters associated with the item in the relevant geography.  The power balance will shift from retailer to consumer.  In response, retailers will have to be prepared to make better dynamic offers to keep customers interested.  Technology will impact both parties.   The other shift may well be that the physical store becomes the shop window for online purchase rather than the other way around, as is often the case nowadays.