A next-gen AI/ML based digital solution to provide a new & enha...

A next-gen AI/ML based digital solution to provide a new & enhanced experience to customers inside a retail store

With the rapid technological advancements in the retail industry, businesses are looking for innovative solutions to improve customer experience and employee productivity in various retail processes. One such area of focus is the in-store check-out experience, which often involves long wait times for customers to get their purchases processed and make payments. Slow lines have been estimated to cost approximately $37.7 billion in potential sales per year, according to research by TechRepublic and ZDNet.

Solution:

Our client, a global retailer, recognized the need to leverage technology advancements to improve their in-store check-out experience. They partnered with Resolve Tech to develop and implement a check-out automation solution. The first step was to conduct a pilot store implementation to demonstrate how the technology could help customers simply pick the items they need and walk out of the store. To achieve this, customers used a mobile app to gain entry to the store. The credit card linked to the app was automatically charged for the purchase, and a receipt of the purchased items was sent to the customer electronically. The Resolve Tech team was involved in several activities, including developing computer vision algorithms, training neural networks, evaluating models, selecting and training personnel, building GPUs and pre-processing images, and evaluating accuracy.

AI/ML AND SMART-TECHNOLOGIES

Overhead cameras, weight sensors and deep learning technology to detect merchandise that shoppers take from or return to shelves and keep track of the items selected in a virtual cart.

NEURAL NETWORK TRAINING

Solve problems like human pose estimation, object detection, and face recognition by training neural nets

OBJECT DETECTION

Use object contours and backgrounds to generate augmented data in Python for simultaneous & accurate image recognition

IMAGE PROCESSING

Pre-process training image dataset using tools such as OpenCV, Skimage etc. to increase accuracy and reduce time to learn for the models

SELF-SERVICE MOBILE APP

Experience end to end self-service with a custom mobile app linked with credit card info for electronic payment and receipts

COMPUTER VISION ALGORITHMS

Design, develop, and implement novel computer vision algorithms for realizing unique use cases using deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, Keras, PyTorch, Caffe etc.

Benefits:

The pilot store implementation allowed our client to determine the feasibility of implementing check-out automation in their stores. More importantly, the solution enabled the client to exceed consumer expectations for faster, easier transactions and a seamless shopping experience. Key benefits to both the customer and the retailer include:

Reduced Wait Times: With the self-service mobile app and checkout-free technology, customers no longer have to wait in long lines to make payments and complete their purchases.
Enhanced Customer Service: By redeploying check-out staff to assist customers across their purchase cycle in the store, retailers can improve customer service and provide a more personalized experience.
Improved Personalization: By leveraging the large amount of meaningful data collected through this technology, retailers can provide in-context, customer-specific recommendations and improve the overall shopping experience.
Eliminated Shrinkage: The camera-based checkout-free systems automatically associate every item with the personnel when taken from a shelf, which reduces shrinkage by fraud and increases accountability.