Design and planning system for product placement to stores in the virtual environment

Abstract

The invention relates to a design and planning system developed especially for use in the retail sector, and places products of the correct capacity along with the architectural elements and design objects on which they will be displayed into virtual stores in a three-dimensional environment according to brick and mortar store layouts and simulates the proper arrangement of products in a virtual store environment either before or after shipment to ensure accurate in-store positioning and also provides three-dimensional design and analysis support during the planning phase to facilitate the work of teams.

Description

[0001] Design and Planning System for Product Placement to Stores in the Virtual Environment

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The invention generally relates to the design and planning system for placing products in stores in the virtual environment.

[0004] In particular; the invention relates to a design and planning system developed especially for use in the retail sector, and places products of the correct capacity along with the architectural elements and design objects on which they will be displayed into virtual stores in a three-dimensional environment according to brick and mortar store layouts and simulates the proper arrangement of products in a virtual store environment either before or after shipment to ensure accurate in-store positioning and also provides three-dimensional design and analysis support during the planning phase to facilitate the work of project teams.

[0005] STATE OF THE ART

[0006] Today, increasing competition in the retail sector triggers companies to improve their store concepts and product placement in stores. One of the main reasons for being preferred by consumers is the correct and aesthetic placement of products in stores. For this reason, how the in-store atmosphere is perceived by the consumer is important for companies to win the competition.

[0007] In current technique, there is no ability to process models from 2D to 3D in the store placement applications. This means that the right light, right color and right image cannot be captured during product placement in virtual store environments. In these applications, architectural technical knowledge is required since square meter data is prepared manually in a virtual environment. The virtual store environment is far from the perception of reality. The process structure from the beginning of the collection to the moment it meets the customer is performed with the mastery of more than one module and the monitoring of store environments created differently for each month, and these processes are followed manually in the brands. Interpreting, processing, and utilizing this data requires significant effort and expertise.

[0008] As a result of a research carried out on the known state of the art, the application numbered TR2017 / 07416 and titled VIRTUAL REALITY SIMULATOR was found. The said application refers to a virtual reality simulator that combines virtual reality with physical movements and objects that capture the movements of users, and is used in applications such as military training, architecture, health, and museums. Herein, users or objects can be defined in a 3D environment as full scale or independently scaled. The said application can be used as a resource by those skilled in the art for the virtual display and simulation of objects in a 3D environment. However, the said application is inadequate in terms of placing products of the correct capacity into virtual stores in a three-dimensional manner according to brick and mortar store layouts, simulating the proper arrangement of products in a virtual store environment either before or after shipment to ensure accurate in-store positioning, and providing three-dimensional design and analysis support to assist teams during the planning phase.

[0009] As a result, improvements are being made in design and planning systems in the virtual environment, therefore new structures are needed that will eliminate the disadvantages mentioned above and provide solutions to existing systems.

[0010] OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The present invention relates to a design and planning system that meets the above- mentioned requirements, eliminates all disadvantages and brings some additional advantages.

[0012] The main object of the invention is to enable the placement of products with the correct capacity into virtual stores in a three-dimensional manner according to brick and mortar store layouts for use in the retail sector. An object of the invention is to enable the products to be simulated in a suitable order in a virtual store environment before or after shipment so that they can be positioned correctly in the store.

[0013] Another object of the invention is to enable the creation, revision and approval of collections in a virtual environment.

[0014] Another object of the invention is to provide three-dimensional design and analysis support in order to facilitate the teams during the planning phase.

[0015] Another object of the invention is to enable all units of a brand to make calculations, manage the process and make decisions in a 3D environment by looking at a single table.

[0016] In order to achieve all the advantages mentioned above and those to be understood from the detailed description below, the existing invention is a design and planning system developed for use in the retail sector, which places products of the correct capacity, architectural elements for product displays, and design objects into virtual stores in a three-dimensional manner according to brick and mortar store layouts, simulates the proper arrangement of products in the virtual store environment for accurate in-store positioning, and provides three-dimensional design and analysis support during the planning phase, wherein; it comprises:

[0017] • A library containing the products to be placed in the store and the architectural elements and design objects on which the products will be displayed,

[0018] • Product cards containing product values, weekly stock and sales information, shipping periods, and attribute information,

[0019] • A virtual store panel that adjusts the store's lighting and lumen settings to match the brick and mortar store environment, allowing products to be displayed under the correct lighting and in their true colors, and enables users to navigate as if they were in a brick and mortar store, selecting products from the library to place in the store and moving the selected products to position them, • A processor that processes the operations performed on the virtual store panel by integrating them into the design and planning system,

[0020] • A modeling panel that creates a new design by assigning color, print, coating or pattern to the representative product or architectural element and saves the design in the library by naming it, in case the user wants to use a product or architectural product that is not in the library in the virtual store panel,

[0021] • An analysis panel that analyzes and reports information about products such as planning, collection or capacity with the heat maps it contains,

[0022] • A communication panel that transmits the reports created by the analysis panel to the user,

[0023] • A feedback panel that collects feedback from users as a result of reviewing the reports they receive.

[0024] The structural and characteristic features of the invention and all its advantages will be understood more clearly by means of the drawings given below and the detailed description written by making references to these drawings. Therefore, the evaluation needs to be made by taking these drawings and detailed description into consideration.

[0025] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to best understand the structure of the present invention and its advantages together with the additional elements, it needs to be evaluated together with the figures described below.

[0027] Figure 1 is the representative schematic view of the design and planning system which is the subject of the invention.

[0028] Figure 2 is another schematic representation of the design and planning system which is the subject of the invention.

[0029] REFERENCE NUMBERS 1 . Virtual store panel

[0030] 2. Modeling panel

[0031] 3. Analysis panel

[0032] 4. Product card panel

[0033] 5. Communication panel

[0034] 6. Processor

[0035] 7. Feedback panel

[0036] 8. Virtual reality glasses

[0037] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0038] In this detailed description, the preferred embodiments of the design and planning system which is the subject of the invention are described only for the purpose of better understanding the subject and in a way that does not form any limiting effects.

[0039] The invention is a design and planning system developed for use in the retail sector, which places products of the correct capacity, along with the architectural elements and design objects for displaying them, into virtual stores in a three-dimensional manner according to brick and mortar store layouts, simulates the proper arrangement of these products in a virtual store environment either before or after shipment to ensure accurate positioning in the brick and mortar store, and provides three-dimensional design and analysis support during the planning phase.

[0040] The design and planning system which is the subject of the invention comprises a virtual store panel (1 ) where the products are placed in accordance with the brick and mortar store plans and at the correct capacity. In the virtual store panel (1 ), the light and lumen settings of the environment can be made, so that the products can be displayed under the correct light and directly in their own color. Users can navigate through the virtual store panel (1 ) as if they were in a brick and mortar store, select the products to be placed, and place the selected products by moving them. Various combinations can be made on mannequins and the mannequins can be dressed in 3D. In the virtual store panel (1 ), the concept and architectural design of the store can be changed as well as the product placement. The design and planning system comprises a library in the virtual store panel (1 ) containing the products to be placed in the store and the product display equipment and accessory products such as cabinets, shelves, hangers, tables belonging to the store. By accessing this library from the virtual store panel (1 ), products and items can be called up and the store concept and product placement can be provided. All transactions made in the virtual store panel (1 ) are integrated into the design and planning system by a processor (6) and presented to the user. All units included in the design and planning system are accessible via the virtual store panel (1 ).

[0041] The design and planning system which is the subject of the invention comprises a modeling panel (2) which performs modeling and design in 2D and 3D. In addition to selecting ready-made products and items from the library in the virtual store panel (1 ), new product designs and architectural element designs in accordance with the concept and classification can be made within the design and planning system thanks to the modeling panel (2). Newly designed products and items are named and saved by transferring them to the library. In addition, while the product display equipment to be used in the virtual store panel (1 ) is designed with the modeling panel (2), the capacity and planar centimeter calculations of these vehicles are automatically made by the modeling panel (2).

[0042] In the design and planning system which is the subject of the invention, the information of all products and items to be used in the virtual store panel (1 ) is kept in the product card panel (4). Product features, product shipment week information, product codes, classification codes, range information, product values such as product price, weekly stock and sales information, and shipment periods can be accessed via the product card panel (4). Each product and architectural element has a product card (4). Thanks to these product cards (4), all the required information about each product and architectural element can be read and the image of the product can be viewed in more detail.

[0043] The design and planning system which is the subject of the invention comprises heat maps and an analysis panel (3) that reports data such as classification, color and capacity in a virtual environment. Heat Maps are tools that can report information about all products in a store, such as classification, line, season, color, price, hanger- displayed products, number of folded products, product group information, and store this information as ratio and numerical data. Reports prepared in the analysis panel (3) can be sent to users by means of a communication panel (5).

[0044] In the design and planning system which is the subject of the invention data flows from the main source to the design and planning system via API and Json data. Access to the design and planning system is provided by username and password. When the user logs into the system, he / she makes a query to bring the collection and architectural element he / she wants from the library in the virtual store panel (1 ) to the virtual store panel (1 ). During the query, this data is taken from the main source and matched with the images in the library, and the match result is sent to the virtual store panel (1 ). The all design and planning process is carried out on the virtual store panel (1)-

[0045] Products and architectural elements called from the library are placed in the virtual store panel (1 ) by, for example, the drag-and-drop method. For example, the store concept can first be edited here: architectural elements such as walls, tables, units are retrieved from the library and brought to the virtual store panel (1 ). The user can rotate the walls, tables, or units in the store, change their position, adjust their angle. He / she can reduce or enlarge the size of his / her store from the automatic size options. If the requested items are not available in the library, users design new items by assigning color, print, coating or pattern to representative images via the modeling panel (2), save them in the library and bring these items to the virtual store panel (1 ). For example, furniture can be colored with coatings. In the modeling panel (2), the design process is carried out by determining the x, y, z coordinates of each element and describing its location in the store. In this area, the user can also use image display equipment for a graphic package. Here, graphic packages refer to all printed images used in a store. These can be price formats, images that describe the product quality, shots with mannequins, shots without mannequins, etc. The user can specify in which concept, in which age group and in which seasons the product display equipment he / she will use will be created. When the user names and records the created item, the relevant equipment is ready for use in the store environment. If the user wants to add it to the library of all users connected to the same network, they can also publish it within their user authorizations with the send to cloud option. After the store concept and architecture are determined, users bring to the virtual store panel (1 ) collections of various products that they will place in the store. At this point, users format their work with both visual editing and capacity data. Users can design architectural elements as well as new collections via the modeling panel (2), save them to the library, and bring them to the virtual store panel (1 ). For example, the user can design a product that is not in the collection at the time of placement but that they believe would complement the collection if it were placed, using the sample product category, assign colors, prints or patterns to this design and display it in the store. It is possible to indicate new combination suggestions through presentation images of walls, tables or units with completed placement, and to form a graphic request form for customer communication. The graphic request form is a brief given to the graphic team working on in-store printed visuals. In this way, the graphic package is prepared before the collection goes to the store. The requested information and notes can be added to the location's imprint. Here, collections can be converted into visual presentations called planograms and exported together with the data in PNG and PDF formats.

[0046] The virtual store panel (1 ) comprises a time tool. After the products are placed in the stores according to the start and end weeks, the entire placement plan for a year is moved on a weekly basis with the time tool and the automatic change of products can be observed. For example, each collection has a predetermined display time and an end time after which it will be removed from the shelves. The user can open a single store and display the entire year's collection on a weekly basis in this store. For example, a collection will enter the store in week 12. When the time tool is moved to week 12, it can dress the store with its products. If the same collection is to be removed from the store on the week 16, the time tool empties the location as of the week 17 and stores the collection in its memory for weeks 12-16. The user can place the products that will enter week 17 in the empty store. Thus, when you move the time tool on a weekly basis, the change of products will occur automatically.

[0047] With the analysis panel (3), information such as planning, collection and capacity of the products can be viewed with a heat map. The user can color the classifications, color information, brand information, or price information of the products placed in the store using different colors and can make assumptions about whether the correct product has been planned for the correct area. With the analysis panel (3), the user is provided with the opportunity to comment and edit.

[0048] Collections that have been placed in stores are transferred to template presentations called planograms and sent to stores via the communication panel (5) for actual application. Reporting is performed by receiving feedback from the stores. For example, the store that receives the planogram applies the application, photographs the final version and sends it back via the communication panel (5). With the feedback received from stores, application times and feedback data are collected and reported in a feedback panel (7).

[0049] In alternative embodiments of the design and planning system which is the subject of the invention, it is possible to connect to the virtual store panel (1 ) where the collection is exhibited with virtual reality glasses (8). It also offers a working environment where multiple users can see and intervene in all its features simultaneously in the same scene. Herein, different placement and planning studies can be carried out as a team. Many decisions such as the tests of a new architectural concept, the feeling in the eyes of the customer, insight studies, height information of units and walls can be observed in a virtual environment with virtual reality glasses (8).

[0050] The design and planning system of the invention is a system compatible with various extensions, offering a wide range of capabilities to enable a brand to manage its own collection, including simultaneously controlling and intervening in both pre-season and in-season periods, planning, calculating capacity, managing shipment and location processes, obtaining sales data, making sales forecasts, evaluating the customer perception of architectural designs, gaining insights, accurately planning the collection, and establishing display standards.

[0051] With the design and planning system which is the subject of the invention, all units of a brand can make calculations, manage the process and make decisions in a 3D environment by looking at a single table. Thanks to the invention, Excel data and text data are transferred to a completely virtual store environment. The formation, revision and approval of collections can be performed in the virtual store environment. The products in the collection appear in 3D and with their own color under the right light.

[0052] This eliminates illusions.

[0053] The working principle of a preferred embodiment of the design and planning system which is the subject of the invention is described below. When logging into the system, an intermediate controller unit is first launched before the program opens, and it checks via an API connection over the internet whether the user is on the company's network. If the operation is carried out on the correct network, a request is sent from the user's computer to the server via an API connection via an update unit and it is verified whether the system is on the latest version. If the system is not at the latest version, the update unit will automatically update it to the latest version. If it is in the latest version or when the update is completed, the system is logged in securely. When the system is launched, two buttons, login and exit, are displayed. When proceeding with the login button, a request is sent to the server via an API connection to initiate a connection to the system. When the user logs into the system with the correct username and password, for example, it is evaluated as “Login Successful”. The system receives information via API that the login has been successfully provided. This information includes a Token. This Token is used as a password to access the product cards panel (4) and the library. If the login is not successful, the Token cannot be obtained and the login is considered unsuccessful. Upon successful login, two different virtual store panels (1 ) are displayed. These can be referred to as the planning area and the visual area. While the store is designed with stricter rules in the planning area, the store can be designed with more flexible rules in the visual area. When the virtual store panel (1 ) is accessed, a rectangular area of, for example, 576m2 is formed. This area is one of 7 predefined areas of different sizes. At the opening, the user can decide which of these areas to choose from, which have previously been calculated for lighting and transferred and saved into 3D models, and start designing their store. When first opened, the library data, which is the furniture that can be placed in this rectangular area, is downloaded from the company's servers via the API in JSON file format. These are units. The 3D files of the hangers and shelves used inside the units are already on the user's computer, but the information on which coordinates and how many of these parts will be placed to form a unit is included in the content of the JSON files coming from the server. At this stage, the system automatically detects these and creates and stores these objects in the background. In this way, when a unit changes on the server, the user can see it in its updated form when the system is opened again. These units are now ready to use and can be accessed via the virtual store panel (1 ). When the user drags and drops the desired unit model from the library onto the floor of the rectangular area, this unit is placed on the stage in 3D. Before the full placement, the system reads the META data from the mentioned JSON file to identify what type of unit it is, then calls and places the necessary shelves and hangers in the required positions, and technically transitions from an Object to an Actor. Herein, objects are classes that only contain data and have not yet become actors when they are not added to the scene, they become actors when they are dragged onto the scene. When the user enters the virtual store panel (1 ), he / she can place his / her units in the 3D environment as he / she wishes and proceed with a buy product button to add his / her products. Here, he / she encounters a form page. By entering data such as Season, MSG(Merch Subgroup), Cluster and Line, the necessary filter information is filled in. When this data is filled in, the API runs and the entered data is transmitted to the server. It requests the server to bring the products associated with this data. Once the query is completed on the server, the product cards (4) are displayed to the user. The product cards (4) also contain the internet addresses (URL) of the product images. It goes to these addresses one by one, downloads the image files in PNG format and enters them directly into the image processing system. The image processing system can be performed, for example, with the image processing library called OpenCV. The operations performed in this image processing proceed in the following order: resizing (512x512 pixels), then detecting and cleaning the background. This saves the processed image to the library. The purpose of storing the processed image here is to allow the user to select and use the already prepared PNG format images from the library, instead of downloading them from the internet again when the same products are needed later. After these images are processed, they are stored in the library and wait to be used. The products are now available with their images in the library. If the user holds and drags a product from here and drops it onto a hanger or shelf in one of the units on the stage, the following actions will start to occur. First, checks are performed to determine whether the target hanger or shelf being dragged to is suitable for placing the product and whether it exceeds its capacity. If the product passes these checks, the second stage involves verifying whether its 3D file exists in the "My Documents" folder. If it does not exist, the product image is retrieved from the dataset and subjected to an edge detection process. Each pixel on the background-cleared image is scanned one by one. For example, in a 512x512 pixel file, exactly 262,144 pixels are scanned sequentially to cover the entire image. As a result of this scan, empty pixels and filled pixels are separated to enable the perception of the product's surroundings. This surrounding data is taken as a list. It is in the form of a coordinate list. For example, a coordinate list consisting of very long and many points such as First Point (100,105), Second Point (100,108) is obtained. This coordinate list is simplified and unnecessary points are removed as much as they will not spoil the detail. With the remaining points, a 3D object can be produced. A surface is created to fill the middle of these points, but it does not have a thickness at this stage. In the next stage, the thickness information of the product is read in centimeters from the dataset and this 3D model is thickened. The image is placed on this now ready 3D model and made ready to be placed on the hanger. This 3D file is then saved, so that the next time the same product is to be placed, it can be retrieved directly from the library without going through these steps again. The time it takes to produce the model from the moment the user drags and drops the product onto the hanger, that is, the entire model production phase, takes place in an average of 100ms (0.1 seconds) on today's computers. The main mechanics of the system which is the subject of the invention are entirely constituted by this system and all products to be placed in the store can pass through these stages and the store design can be completed.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A design and planning system developed for use in the retail sector, which places products of the correct capacity, along with architectural elements and design objects for display, into virtual stores in a three-dimensional manner according to brick and mortar store layouts, simulates the proper arrangement of these products in a virtual store environment to ensure accurate positioning in the brick and mortar store, and provides three-dimensional design and analysis support during the planning phase, characterized by comprising;• A library containing the products to be placed in the store and the architectural elements and design objects on which the products will be displayed,• A product card comprising product values, weekly stock and sales information, shipping periods, and attribute information.• A virtual store panel (1) that adjusts the store's lighting and lumen settings to match the brick and mortar store environment for products to be displayed under the ideal lighting and in their natural color, and enables users to navigate as if they were in a brick and mortar store, selecting products from the library to place in the store and moving the selected products to position them,• A processor (6) that processes the operations performed on the virtual store panel (1) by integrating it into the design and planning system,• A modeling panel (2) that creates a new design by assigning color, print, coating or pattern to the representative product or architectural element and saves the design in the library by naming it, in case the user wants to use a product or architectural product that is not in the library in the virtual store panel (1),• An analysis panel (3) that analyzes and reports information about products such as planning, collection or capacity with the heat maps it contains,• A communication panel (5) that transmits the reports created by the analysis panel (3) to the user,• A feedback panel (7) that collects feedback from users as a result of reviewing the reports they receive.

2. A design and planning system according to claim 1 , characterized by comprising; a virtual reality glasses (8) that enable operations by connecting to the virtual store panel (1) where the collection is exhibited.

3. A design and planning system according to claim 1 , characterized by comprising; the virtual store panel (1 ) that displays clothes by dressing them in 3D on 3D mannequins.

4. A design and planning system according to claim 1 , characterized by comprising; the modeling panel (2) that automatically calculates the capacity and planar centimeter of the redesigned architectural elements.

5. A design and planning system according to claim 1 , characterized by comprising; a controller unit that queries whether the company is on the network via the internet when the system is logged in.

6. A design and planning system according to claim 5, characterized by comprising; an update unit that analyzes whether the system is in the latest version or not, and updates it if it is not in the latest version, when it is detected to be in the company's network as a result of the analysis of the controller unit.

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