Sci-fi authors –the Nostradami of technology– have been making accurate predictions of modern-day living since as far back as 1888 when the idea of debit cards surfaced in the utopian tale “Looking Back.” Similarly, Philip K. Dick, the author behind “Minority Report,” foresaw and wrote about various technologies that are being put into play today by forward-thinking retailers.

Essentially, it’s the emergence of omni-channel and the need to create seamless shopping experiences across various channels that is bringing the stuff of fiction to real life.

In a scene from the “Minority Report,” Tom Cruise is bombarded by facial recognition systems that are making purchase recommendations seemingly based on his historic shopping data. Sound familiar?

In fact, in a report from Forrester, titled “ Infrastructure Will Drive The Retail Store Experiences Of The Future ,” facial recognition and wearables, like Google Glass – originally described in the book Neuromancer written back in 1984 – are referenced as keys to future retail success.

“Technologies like wearables, RFID tagging, iBeacon, interactive digital displays, and facial recognition (to name just a few) are reshaping the way retailers craft in-store experiences for their customers,” said JB Gownder in a Forrester blog about the research firm’s report. “Retailers are constantly seeking technologies to both bolster customer experience and increase efficiency – and of course the two are interrelated.”

For retailers that might not yet be strategizing for the proliferation of Google Glass or facial recognition, there are still plenty of ways to follow the customer along their purchase path while also developing positive, interactive in-store experiences. IBM, among others, is leading the way with robust technologies that are quite accessible.

In the case of IBM, its new technology is dubbed Presence Zones.
“Presence Zones transform the in-store experience by using intelligent location-based sensors that help retailers engage shoppers with real-time promotions as they move through the store,” explained an editor at Forbes.