Dx3 features interactive experience for the future of retailing

 

Text and photos by Sonya Davidson

At this year's Dx3 Conference and Trade Show in Toronto, a number of interactive companies featured in the Retail Collective Lab. Curated by Doug Stephens (aka The Retai Prophet) the space offered us a glimpse into the future of how we do business. Actually, not even in the far future...but for some of the companies featured, the future is now.

Eyeris is a deep learning based emotion recognition software that reads micro-expressions. In stores, this can help managers and sales people determine when people are most likely to make a purchase as well as understanding emotional response from customers in real time. Reading the response is quite straight foward with a variety of emotions measured inlcuding joy, surprise, disgust, anger, fear..yes, sounding a bit like the Inside Out Movie. 

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Foodora app and service disrupts food delivery

Foodora is one of the most disruptive and innovative services to come to Canada since Uber. Similar to what Uber has done for personal transportation, Foodora has breached a wide gap between people wanting to order food and restaurants who don't offer take out or delivery services. Formerly branded as Hurrier, Foodora's app, website and service quickly gives Canadians in Toronto and Montreal (as well as in 30 countries) access to thousands of restaurant menus, the ability to order food and have it quickly delivered by bike courier within minutes. The selection of restaurants and available cuisines is extensive.

The app is simple to use and super transparent, users can quickly order, get a summary of their expenses plus select an amount to tip the delivery person. The app is available on Android and iOS.

Canadian-made PandaHAUS app is your window to the snowsports world

Canadian Olympic medallist for Skiing Jan Hudec – nicknamed Panda – worked with software company Core Platform Canada to develop the "more than just skiing" app, which is a powerful photo and content sharing community for skiers, riders and fans.

Hudec says the app – which you can download for free from pandahaus.com – will help bring the entire snowsports community together, while also raising money for young athletes chasing their dreams. It features a host of stars from the ski and snowboard sports world, including the USA's Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin.

"The pandaHAUS app is a revolutionary way for the snowsports world, from the youngest fan to the oldest die-hard, to share, communicate, collaborate and educate," said Hudec, whose ski racing season was cut short by knee surgery. "I've always been passionate about supporting young athletes and using mentors and role models to help inspire the next generation. Lack of funding has been a longstanding issue and this app will provide a solution by harnessing the passion of the ski and snowboard communities in a meaningful way."

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Expert says Takata is ‘facing a crisis that may prove difficult to overcome’

One of the most persistent automotive news stories has been the massive number of recalls from dozens of car manufacturers due to defective Takata-made airbags. More specifically, the issue involves defective inflator and propellent devices that may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, shooting metal fragments into vehicle occupants. Approximately 34 million vehicles are potentially affected in the United States, and another 7 million have been recalled worldwide.

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