Autonomous Sample Delivery for In-Home Product Presentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for selling products, either through catalogs or physical stores, are limited as they cannot provide a full experience of the product, requiring customers to travel, which is time-consuming and expensive, and do not allow for in-person demonstrations at the customer's preferred location.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing an autonomous vehicle to transport product definers, which are physical objects or devices, to the customer's location for selection and demonstration, enabling in-person interaction and overcoming the limitations of traditional sales methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If products are presented through catalogs or online pages, then the sales process is simplified and costs are reduced, but the customer experience is limited and cannot provide full product inspection
Solution Approach 1:
An autonomous vehicle acts as an intermediary between the seller's location and the customer's location, transporting physical product samples to enable in-situ inspection without requiring customer travel or human salesperson deployment
Solution Approach 2:
Physical product samples serve as tangible copies of the actual products, allowing customers to inspect and interact with representative versions at their own locations, bridging the gap between virtual catalogs and physical store experiences
2Ease of operation
If physical stores are used to allow customer inspection, then full product experience is provided, but customer travel time and expense increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of bringing the customer to the product location (traditional retail model), the product samples are brought to the customer's location, inverting the traditional flow and eliminating the need for customer travel
Solution Approach 2:
The autonomous vehicle system enables customers to conduct product inspections at their own convenience and location without requiring human salesperson assistance, making the process self-directed and eliminating travel requirements
3Ease of operation
If salespeople are deployed for in-person product presentation, then customer interaction and demonstration are improved, but sales costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous vehicle system operates independently without requiring human salesperson deployment, enabling in-person product sample presentation while eliminating the labor costs associated with human sales staff
Solution Approach 2:
The autonomous vehicle serves as an automated intermediary that delivers product samples and enables customer interaction without requiring human salesperson involvement, reducing operational costs while maintaining demonstration capability
4Loss of energy
If catalogs and online presentations are used, then sales costs are reduced, but the ability to show product feel and functionality is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Physical product samples are transported to the customer, providing tangible copies that convey sensory information about product feel, texture, and functionality that cannot be transmitted through digital media
Solution Approach 2:
The autonomous vehicle acts as a mediator that delivers physical product samples to bridge the information gap between virtual catalogs and direct product experience, enabling sensory inspection without incurring high salesperson deployment costs
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a system to present samples of products to customers by transporting the samples to the customer's location with an autonomous vehicle. The sample can be a product, a component of a product, a material or a device to gather information in defining the product. The autonomous vehicle is adapted for off road travel and may enter buildings, it can be carried to a nearby location by a street adapted vehicle. Information may be transmitted electronically but physical presence is essential. The customer or the customer's agent receives a presentation of the product definer and a selection of a final product is made. In other cases the autonomous vehicle delivery separate or installed technical equipment to examine the presentation location and assist in the final product selection. For example, photographs from multiple locations can measure a room for installation of carpets or draperies, etc.