THE EVENT HORIZON OF IN-STORE RETAIL AUTOMATION

Introduction
It came out of nowhere: a mechanical voice turned off with electronic tones said “Hi, there it is”. I was furiously approaching myself and other eTail West attendees: over 7'6 “, a fiberglass robot extracted from a Transformers Film with bright blue eyes and dark, mechanical fingers that seemed to have 300 psi of hydraulic power, Enough to crush a car.
Of course, this robot was a suit drenched in ContentSquare with a person inside, but the subsequent conversation was surreal. “Can I take a picture?” It should support the couple. “Certainly, take a step here for a good shot,” in an English staccato with a mysterious and deep mechanical voice. The neurons in my head started firing.
Suppose this robot was real? The technology is mainly here. We have natural language processing, basic functionality of artificial intelligence, robotic prostheses, centralized controllers. Now, how about we give it a little more capacity? Maybe we even manage basic functions in a retail environment. What about the selection and packaging capabilities, the identification of objects on store shelves and the labeling processes?
How about moving into the room and interacting with real clients? I’m sure I could handle basic questions like where to find my size 34 jeans or bathroom instructions. Add a camera or two and it will become a surveillance device: mobile and dynamic for prevention and security. Maybe even a payment with a torso-based kiosk to scan items and a point of sale.
Given the upcoming technology units, such as free software, such as the Amazon Go experimental store, there would be a real change in the retail workforce, with a focus on automated system maintenance and a higher level of thought and service from Associates. from our retail store. specialized experience, but increasing efficiency and productivity and a richer and more relevant buyer experience.



Definitely a horizon of events is approaching, where technological changes will impact us so much that our thinking about purchases will have to be different. My opinion is that several factors will affect the retail experience soon, including:
• Advanced, machinery and robotics enabled for artificial intelligence (AI) in front-end and back-store environments.
  • Store technology without payment for the use of machine learning, item recognition and automated POS, which enables physical self-service for retail.
  • Rapid and continuous growth of digital retail (more than 10.3% in the US, according to the Forrester e-commerce Forecast)
• The fastest and most efficient delivery of the last mile in competition with the Amazon distribution
Although some of these capabilities are incipient, they are arriving, and with current trends, they can arrive at the same time and relatively soon.

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