Dive Brief:

• Doug Stephens of the Retail Prophet website and blog says he believes retailers like Kohl’s, Target, and Walmart will have robots replace workers for jobs ranging from bringing clothes to changing rooms to giving customers information on inventory.

• The technology exists in many areas, making it just a matter of time; Stephens thinks it will be three to five years.

• Stephens predicted that upscale stores like Lululemon and Nordstrom will retain more workers though, saying that increase wages for these employees would be very possible. 

Dive Insight:

Doug Stephens’ prediction sounds kind of exciting. Certainly physical stores will employ more technology in the very near future as consumers increasingly demand information about inventory or the ability to order an item not available in the store. But it’s hard to picture robots ambling Roomba-like from changing rooms to the store floor, or even very many kiosks. Those kinds of investments would require major upkeep - picture the forlorn robot with a missing arm or blinking info-kiosks with broken links.

More likely, the employees that stores do hire will have to be extremely savvy on all channels, good with customers, and free to bring feedback to their employers about what customers want. The technology of choice will more likely be tablets loaded with efficient software. And that includes the likes of Walmart, Target, and Kohl’s--good customer service and an excellent store experience is going to be essential no matter how downscale a retailer is.