Phygital Samples: Enhancing Retail Experiences with Digital Augmentations of Physical Materials

Abstract

Retail industry is subject to radical developments. Due to mass-customization it is not possible for retailers to present all possible configurations in-store for customer to experience. Additionally, there is a shift towards online shopping. Even in the context of purchasing cars it is common to pre-order cars online, without having experienced the car upfront. Physical material samples are a way for customers to get an impression of what the whole product is like, without retailers actually having the whole in their store. This comes with the drawback that it is hard for customers to experience the whole based on a single sample for a specific configuration. Particularly in the case of samples that have been taken home, the connection with the whole product can be lost. In this paper we present Phygital Samples, combining physical and digital in the context of retail. Phygital Samples connect with a digital layer that fills the gap between the detailed sample and the whole product. The interaction mapping with the sample and digital 'whole' or 'bigger picture' is based on the interaction to perceive the material quality of the specific sample. In this demo, we present the Phygital Sample box containing four different samples illustrating our material interaction design approach.