For the retail-minded consumer, whether attending in-person or browsing online, this year’s event unveiled more than its share of immersive experiences and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tools aimed at engaging with connected consumers who are mostly stuck in a contactless world.

Merkle has released its Scan & Know and UnboxIt products at CES. These are app-free in-store and on-delivery contactless shopping experiences and are the newest additions to Merkle’s ShopNXT collection of retail innovation products.

The products aim to increase the flow of information and service to shoppers without having to download an app.

Scan & Know empowers shoppers to know more in store with its amplified assistance and product recognition technology. UnboxIt is a smart packaging content platform that connects with shoppers out of the box.

Merkle, a customer experience management (CXM) company, has launched Scan & Know and UnboxIt for app-free in-store and on-delivery contactless shopping experiences.

Scan & Go and UnboxIt are designed to help customers learn more about products and to earn their loyalty -- without interacting with store employees.

I asked readers to weigh in on a question confronting restaurant operators: how long to keep using QR codes in place of the old-fashioned physical menus.

Sometimes, it’s not worth it to continue pouring resources into a product or service that’s not gaining market traction.