Two ships are about to collide – digital shopping and retail brick-and-mortar. Often seen as opposites or diverging realities, we see a giant, revolutionary convergence.

Take what happened this past holiday season at the Westfield mall in San Francisco for example. Giant, connected retail stations acting as storefronts called Connected Glass offer the newest form of window shopping. These interactive stations allow shoppers to browse through items for sale using a storefront-sized touchscreen, which then sends information to their phone for purchase. This maintains shopper privacy at the point of purchase, while creating an engaging experience via a museum-like gallery of expanded merchandise. While just a pilot, we see this as an important first step to integrating e-commerce into brick and mortar experiences.

So where does this convergence go next? Who really knows, but opportunity abounds to create new and meaningful experiences. Could we see digital personal stylists guiding shoppers through a wardrobe re-vamp in-store? What about upping retail competitiveness by pushing flash deal and promotion notifications to shoppers in a nearby store? Crowdsourcing how look as you try on an outfit to your personal network? QR codes to get user reviews on specific pieces? Don’t forget about virtual dressing room and self-checkout technologies.

And for those of you wondering, no, we don’t see brick and mortar isn’t going away anytime soon. People love to teach and feel what their looking to buy too much. We can’t beat first-hand experience yet. But, mobile technology can enhance the experience. How about an app to schedule child care and activities at the mall while you shop? How about an app that helps you get your new purchases tailored while you continue to shop? What about Polyvore inspiring and guiding at the mall?

Indeed the future of digital and brick-and-mortar shopping seems bright, like star-crossed honeymooners with their whole lives in front of them.