The demise of physical stores has become a familiar narrative during the holiday season, but nothing could be further from the truth, according to one man better positioned than most to know.

Designer-brand online furniture retailer Made.com is employing a solution provided by CloudTags that includes supplying shoppers with tablets so they can access information via Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID tags attached to furniture on display at the company's London showroom. The solution enables visitors to create a wish list of products they like, for later review, and uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons to allow the retailer to track which areas of the showroom shoppers visit, and the amount of time they spend at each location.

Retail space isn't what it used to be. More people are browsing and buying online. Stores can get products faster from manufacturers, so they don't need as much space to warehouse inventory. Small businesses are thus moving to smaller storefronts to lower costs.