“Good tech is one that surprises & eases customer experience”

Retail4Growth connected with Sankalp Sahu, Co-Founder & Partner at 02JUNE & Few Steps Ahead, to explore how technology is thoughtfully applied to enhance retail and spatial experiences. 

For Sankalp Sahu, Co-Founder & Partner at 02JUNE & Few Steps Ahead, technology is not about spectacle or novelty. It is about enablement. In a design context, tech earns its place only when it improves convenience, efficiency, and user experience within a space. If a technological solution creates friction or requires constant assistance, it no longer serves its purpose. It has to be very intuitive and very natural.

To understand how technology is being meaningfully integrated into retail and spatial design, Retail4Growth connected with Sankalp Sahu, Co-Founder & Partner at 02JUNE & Few Steps Ahead.

Designing technology for the Indian consumer

While discussing technology integration in retail spaces in India, Sankalp shared his views from a designer’s standpoint rather than that of a consumer. The focus, he explained, should be on creating experiences that genuinely add value to customers, not on replicating global trends.

What defines good retail technology, for him, is its ability to pleasantly surprise users by simplifying their experience in ways they may not have imagined. As Sankalp says, “Something which surprises the customer to a level where they say, ‘I didn’t know this even existed to simplify my life.’”

When customers actively engage with technology rather than passively consume information, the experience becomes more memorable and impactful.

Enabling technology to engage

Sankalp shared an example of how his team enabled technology for a client in quite an impactful way. For an event, they created a darkroom experience where QR codes were hidden and could only be discovered using a smartphone’s flashlight. The technology itself was simple and familiar, but the experience was designed to encourage participation and curiosity.

“We did not find a new tech, we found a different way of using the same tech,” he explains.

In a more high-tech example, for a brand’s EV launch, the team wanted to communicate the vehicle’s key features in a way that captured attention. Rather than listing specifications, they created a holographic projection showing the vehicle driving through rain and even while submerged, demonstrating its durability in a visually immersive and memorable way.

AI as an internal enabler

Within his own company, Sankalp sees AI as a powerful support system rather than a creative replacement. It has helped reduce time spent on research, data analysis, and early-stage visualisation, allowing teams to focus more on ideation and creative problem-solving.

“It actually gives us more creative time,” Sankalp shares.

While he remains cautious about AI’s current limitations, especially in creative accuracy, he acknowledges its growing role in simplifying processes and enabling faster decision-making.

Is technology always expensive?

Addressing the common perception around high costs, Sankalp shares that technology tends to be expensive only in its early stages, when it is still a novelty. “It will not be expensive as soon as it comes to mass usage,” he says.

As adoption increases, costs come down. Today, clients are willing to invest in technology when it clearly adds value to their business. However, tech used purely for decoration is losing relevance. He adds, “People have realised that just having screens or decorative tech is not helping them in the long run.”

With DDX Asia 2026 - The Digital Display Tech show, coming up in February, Sankalp is excited to see ideas and innovations that surprise and inspire. “At DDX Asia, I would want to be blown away myself. Things which are unexpected, things which would actually add value.”