Exponential Growth inGuests of this year’s Shop.org Summit were treated to a talk by inventor, author and futurist Ray Kurzweil. He stated that the exponential growth in IT/computing power means the world will probably be very different in 3 years. He warned retailers to make sure they build change into their plans and business models.

He mentioned a development that could have a substantial impact on retailers and on shipping carriers. Kurzweil said that in the future, products will be delivered via e-mail attachment and printed out on 3D printers. He referenced an article within the Economist that explains the technology and discusses the potential impact this will have on manufacturers, and stated that it’s one to two decades away from becoming mainstream.

Online sellers are already working with 3D printers to manufacture their merchandise. Consumers will use augmented reality (AR) in stores, as outlined by Kurzweil, so they’ll experience virtual reality and real reality simultaneously. Ecommerce players are already utilizing augmented reality.