Shop of the future
Nieuws Tribune
30 March 2000
You walk into a shop, have your body scanned, choose a cloth and a few weeks later you will receive your own tailor-made suit at your home. Does this sound futuristic? Not in the eyes of Bas Possen, 29 years and founder of POSSEN.COM, a new fashion chain that starts in April.
For six years he was an accountant in the e-commerce and telecommunications industries. Up until Bas Possen heard about the body scanners of the German company Tecmath. He sold the retail businesses of the family company (Possen Fashion), quit his job and founded a new company.
Possen.com is a new retail chain, starting with two outlets, in Amsterdam and Nuth in the Limburg province (where the headquarters are also situated).A body scanner is the biggest investment. Tecmath developed a scanner where the human body is scanned and measured in a few seconds.
With this (now just for men) a suit is tailor-made. In the new shops of Possen next to such a scanner, the customer will find advanced computers (flat screens) and audiovisual devices. In addition suits will be displayed of a number of well-known brands. With enormous enthusiasm Possen tells about his ambitious plans. 'In my shops the customers can see, feel and try the suits. For example, they might like an Armani-suit, but are looking for a different collar or another cloth. With their scan they can try their choice on the computers', Possen tells.
Except in shops from April onwards Possen.com can also be found on the Internet via www.possen.com or www.DigiTwin.com. 'With a scan , the digital twin, customers can order anything online. |
But if they would like to feel the different types of available cloth, they can receive a sample the next day at their home'. According to Possen it is new that he combines three traditional retail concepts: 'A physical company, a mail order company, and online shopping'.
Will the physical shop disappear entirely? 'The shop as we know it probably will. I think that trying on cloths will be less important in the future, but the feel and see experience will remain an important part of the decision process. Therefore physical shops will also be necessary. But whether we still need to call them shops? We rather speak of adventure rooms', Possen states.
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