3D printing will be good for retail, argues Tesco CIO

Tesco CIO Mike McNamara says 3D printing will help his company and the retail sector at large.

In an interview with UK news site V3, McNamara said retailers will soon start making use of 3D printing technology in stores.

“I think over the next few years you will see 3D printing in shops, because for the missing hose from the vacuum printer, you can print them in the time that someone enters the store, does a bit of shopping and leaves the store,” McNamara said. “So I can definitely see that being part of the retail offering in the none too distant future.”

Comparing the recent rise of 3D printing to the advent of the internet and smartphones, McNamara says retailers will identify ways to use the technology to actually drive more customers to storefronts, as opposed to making brick-and-mortar retail shops obsolete.

SOURCE: cio.co.uk