Through its Mind Uplifter app, fitness retailer ASICS provides runners and other athletes with an interactive overview of the various ways exercise affects their emotional and cognitive states.

Global healthcare platform, Happify Health, creates the first digital treatment for depression and anxiety with its new prescription therapeutic solution, Ensemble. 

Technology company Apple launches impressive Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities as part of its iOS 15 software update. 

The recent rise of hybrid and remote work has catalyzed the adoption of professional collaboration tools and interfaces, as companies and organizations liaise internally and externally across datasets, personal schedules, dispersed team needs, and project deliverables; all with the aim of providing a universal experience for knowledge workers regardless of physical location. Integrating new ways of communicating into a single platform that provides for the surfacing and sharing information across text, voice, and video has become a new priority to lessen employee disconnect and other business process interruptions that result in a loss of productivity.

Similar needs are arising at home, and on consumers' smartphones, as the level of every-day technology encased in their devices increases at a blistering pace. Hands-free, voice-activated interfaces are lessening the reliance on screens, and streamlining formerly complex business processes of task completion. Advances in image-recognition technology are lowering barriers around tasks both small – like shopping for a specific item online – and large, like virtually troubleshooting a piece of machinery; aiding in the consumer lifecycle from discovery to post-purchase service.

As the ever-evolving, technically sophisticated and digital-first ecosystem begins to transmute the more mainstream elements of daily life, new tools and solutions are being made available to put control and customization back in the hands of the consumer. No-code and low-code collaboration technologies, alongside simplified interfaces and powerful APIs, are making it easy and possible for everyone to access and activate the growing world of connected devices on their own time, and in their own way.

In this report, the PSFK Research team explores the innovative interface tools supporting the rise of automated, collaboration technology features. To help business decision makers and remote workers better understand this high-growth space, PSFK has identified 4 key trends at play in the adoption of sophisticated digital convenience solutions as an integral part of society's everyday life.

Game Builder Garage, a new Nintendo game for the company’s Switch consoles, teaches players the basics of video game design by letting them create their own interactive games using Nintendo’s code-free, gamified visual programming language.

Business communication platform Slack, which has been owned by Salesforce since 2021, is taking steps to become more than just a text-based program. 

Whether through new in-store services, expert consultations, or immersive merchandising, retailers in New York are giving consumers new reasons to shop in-person. From Madison Avenue to Times Square and from Bleeker Street to Prince Street, the diversity of approaches that manifest across the city make it the most important hub in the world for anyone looking for inspiration on what's next in the shopper experience. Themes emerging in this market include:

Store as a stage

Tech-enabled sales floors and product trials

Personalized consults

Customization stations

Purpose-driven storytelling

Retailers and brands invest in innovative approaches in NYC that will inform their corporate strategies and inspire those of us who are lucky enough to immerse ourselves in NYC retail. Each year, innovation research company PSFK develops a New York City retail guide to the best shopping that Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and (even) New Jersey can offer.

Informed by the latest trends research in the PSFK Future of Retail 2021 report, this guide offers locals and visitors a fresh and objective overview of the most important stores to visit and experience. Whether you're visiting New York City to visit (and shop!) the stores or reading this at your desk for inspiration, this guide outlines our favorite shops that will help you design tomorrow's best-in-class retail experiences.

Key shopping districts: Madison Avenue, Central Avenue, Greenwich Village and West Village, Times Square, Prince Street, Spring Street, 34th Street, 42nd Street, Herald Square and Union Square.

Retailers include: Apple Store, Louis Vuitton, Google, Bed Bath & Beyond, Allure, Rimowa

To celebrate its 30th anniversary, women’s magazine and global beauty authority Allure is opening an innovative tech-and-editorial-led, experiential brick-and-mortar store on Manhattan’s Lafayette Street. 

Retail chain Bed, Bath & Beyond has given its 92,000-square-foot Manhattan flagship store a much needed renovation, ushering the location into the forefront of the 21st century omnichannel retail experience. 

Technology company Google recently opened its first permanent physical retail store, located underneath the company’s offices in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.