Lowe’s is using robots, but would you?
Robots are gaining a stronger foothold in retail than ever, with major retailers such as Lowe’s, Target and Best Buy trying them out for various customer service and inventory tasks, according to an article published by Knowledge@Wharton in the Fiscal Times.
Lowe’s, for example, is in the San Francisco area rolling out a robot that “uses voice recognition to identify products for customers and lead them to the right shelf — in multiple languages,” according to the article.
The approach may work well for large retailers, where workers don’t always have extensive knowledge of the products in the store. But what about luxury retailers? How about a robot selling high-end jewelry in a downtown boutique?
Well, the concept might not fly for luxury goods, at least not any time soon, says Denise Dahlhoff, research director at Wharton’s Baker Retailing Center. In fact, luxury is an area where lack of robots is probably a selling point.
The article explains: “Here, a white-glove experience is not only expected but perhaps even demanded as high-end customers want the personalized service that only specially trained human staff can provide.”
Read more at the Fiscal Times
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