The fashion world is going virtual and window shopping is actually a form of shopping and buying now, thanks to Ralph Lauren. Window shopping used to consist of a slight glance in the window of a store as you're walking by a brief stop to look in the store and see what they have to offer. The point of window shopping used to be the lack of intent to buy.

Most of us refer to window shopping as a quick fashion fix for those on a budget. Never actually entering the store meant there was no chance of buying the clothes. All that has changed now that Ralph Lauren introduced a form of "virtual" shopping totheir consumers.

The plan is to engage consumers by strategically placing items of clothing on attractive mannequins. While this never used to be a problem for consumers, it is now. As you approach the window there is a wide array of products to choose from. Each product can be instantly purchased through a screen on the outside of the window that acts as an ATM machine for the store. Consumers can purchase these items through credit card at any time of the day - even 4am.

The touchscreen system (equipped with a credit card reader) was apparently designed in-house by Ralph Lauren. While their are definite perks of being the first to release such an innovative device, some may wonder what's the point. You can buy everything from the internet now and trying things on before you purchase still remains a problem.

So what do you think? Is this type of shopping something you would be interested in or do you think it's a waste of Ralph Lauren's time and money?