Shoppers can now browse John Lewis’ flagship branch online using Google Street View.
The retailer says that John Lewis Oxford Street is the first department store in the world to be fully mapped using Google Street View. The result, it says, enables shoppers to find their way through its seven floors in order to plan their trip courtesy of a virtual tour designed by Ideal Insight.
The innovation is one of three new technologies unveiled today by the department store group.
Simon Russell, director, retail operations development at John Lewis , said: “We intend to keep investing and innovating in our shops so that they remain compelling and hassle-free places for customers, offering multiple reasons to visit them. Partly this will see us use an increasing amount of technology to make shopping easier and offer more “in shop help”.
The company is also trialling in-store transactional tablets in departments including technology at white goods at its Brent Cross, Cheadle and Peter Jones stores. Customers can choose to pay through the tablets, which will be linked to the shop’s till systems and allow customers to complete their purchase in a shop or arrange home delivery.
Finally, the company is testing out ChargeBox, a secure power point where shoppers can charge their mobile phones for free for up to half an hour while they shop. If successful all the innovations will be rolled out across the John Lewis estate.
