That's the prediction of a TNS Retail Forward Inc survey that looked at future innovations in shopping. TNS's New Future In Store survey asked 4,600 shoppers in Asia, Canada, Europe and the United States share their views on shopping and rate the appeal of 12 innovations that have the potential to revolutionize the shopping experience.

Consumers expect a retail revolution.

The challenge for retailers will be merging state-of-the-art technology with high-touch service. Some of the technologies shoppers expect to be in widespread use in the future-shopping via social networking Web sites and collaborative product development-are already in use by some retailers today. However, TNS researchers says those technologies will evolve considerably. As a result, "retail businesses will have to innovate continuously as an increasingly digital environment gives shoppers dramatic new choices. Consumer product manufacturers will need to respond to these trends and embrace new assumptions."

Technology will be pervasive, driven by falling costs, widespread access and adoption, a working infrastructure and increased standardization. In addition, just-in-time supply chain and the technology to support it "will no longer be the gold standard." Rather, extremely reduced cycle times will require retailers to accelerate trend identification, entry and exit.

By 2015, more than seven in 10 shoppers worldwide expect to be using interactive touch screens in dressing rooms to communicate with sales assistants, 60% expect to be able to pay for purchases with just their fingerprint and 42% predict holographic sales assistants will be widespread. The survey, however, found perspectives differed by geography.

• The appeal of biometric fingerprint payment, which lets shoppers pay for a purchase by using a finger sensor linked to their bank accounts or credit cards, ranges from 60% in China to 24% in Germany.
• US consumers favor smart shopping carts, which incorporate interactive technology via a video screen to help consumers locate products, access shopping lists, check prices, receive promotions and coupons, and scan purchases. In the US, 28% rank smart carts the top tech innovation, compared to 19% worldwide and just 9% of shoppers in France and Germany.
• 3D body scans--which use a 3-D scan of a shopper's body to make recommendations about brands and specific clothes, most likely to fit well or to help fit custom-made clothes--is most popular amongst Germans, where 21% rate it as the top innovation compared with 12% of shoppers globally
• 59% of Chinese consumers rank holographic sales assistants-which can answer questions and facilitate sales--as very appealing, but the option is highly rated by only 15% of the Japanese and British.