When shopping online, we can take advantage of the abundance of information about the products we want to buy. Every well-designed product page offers all the necessary details, like variants, shipping info, and specifications.
However, the in-store shopping experience is different. You often have to either do your research beforehand or awkwardly ask a store employee for information, and reveal to them that you’re not entirely sure what you want to buy.
But now, Apple is looking to transform our offline shopping experience. The latest patent (US12073413) titled “Product Experience Service”, hints at a new service that will provide users with all the essential data about a product they want to buy in-store.
According to the patent, in the future, you’ll be able to scan a product you’re interested in and instantly receive all the necessary information, such as variants, compatibility with your existing devices, and more. When you scan a product, a specialized card will appear on your Apple device, similar to the confirmation prompts in the App Store or Apple Wallet, containing all the relevant details.
From that card, you can also instantly purchase the product using Apple Pay. This feature streamlines the buying process and makes it quick and convenient.
Since the patent mentions NFC scanning, this service will likely be most effective with electronic devices.
But that’s not all—beyond enhancing the pre-purchase experience, Apple’s new service will also offer post-purchase support, such as easy-to-understand product manuals, relevant apps, and more.
It’s worth noting that we probably won’t see this service anytime soon. Apple not only needs to populate its database with all the necessary information, but retailers and manufacturers will likely need to make their products compatible with this new service.
So, while it’s a long road ahead, once implemented, this new “Product Experience Service” could change the way we shop in-store.