IoT

Forget everything you thought you knew about basement-banished vending machines selling Funyuns, Pop-Tarts, and maybe Snickers bars. Today, touch-screen interfaces, 3D-printing capabilities, and a host of other technological advancements make the vending industry ripe for disruption by creative companies.

For all the hype around the Internet of Things, most people are still content to control their homes manually. A recent Gartner survey found that they don't mind getting up to adjust the temperature or turn off the lights, and 58 percent of respondents actually prefer the idea of standalone devices to connected ones.

If there were an Oscar for best digital experience, IKEA would win it. ItsSpace10 arenain Copenhagen a literal lobster tank before the Swedish furniture brand took it over in 2015 has developed some seriously cutting-edge customer technologies.

For every hit Internet of Things product, there are dozens that unnecessarily met their demise.

Most brick-and-mortar stores haven't changed their strategy since the early days of retail. Customers arrive at the store, make their selections, and (assuming the prices are right) check out with their products.