Shopping Cart Receipt Verification Using Computer Vision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retail stores face challenges in confirming the purchase of all merchandise items as customers leave, particularly due to unintentional or intentional failures in accounting for items at the point-of-sale, which is exacerbated by various checkout options including self-checkout and mobile device transactions.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a mobile device with an electronic sensor and camera for scanning transaction identifiers and capturing images, combined with computer vision algorithms, to compare purchased items against detected items in a shopping cart, with the option to activate alerts or instruct automated vehicles for retrieval of unpaid items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional point-of-sale systems are used for checkout, then transactions can be processed, but shrinkage occurs due to unintentional or intentional failures to account for all merchandise items
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary imaging of all merchandise items in the shopping cart before the customer leaves the store. This advance documentation allows for later verification against the point-of-sale transaction record, ensuring that all items were properly accounted for and paid for, thereby preventing shrinkage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy (image) of the physical merchandise items in the shopping cart. This digital representation is then compared against the transaction record to verify purchase accuracy, providing a reliable method to detect and prevent shrinkage without requiring manual item-by-item verification.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple checkout options are provided (self-checkout, cashier checkout, mobile device checkout), then customer convenience is improved, but verifying purchase accuracy becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The imaging system serves as a universal verification mechanism that works across all checkout methods (self-checkout, cashier checkout, mobile device checkout). By capturing images of all items regardless of how the transaction is processed, the system provides a single, unified approach to verification that adapts to various checkout scenarios without requiring method-specific complexity.
3Reliability
If manual verification of each item is performed, then purchase accuracy can be confirmed, but time is lost and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual, mechanical verification of each item with an automated image recognition and comparison process. The imaging system captures all items, and software automatically compares the captured images against the transaction record, eliminating the need for manual item-by-item verification while maintaining high accuracy and preserving checkout speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The verification system performs self-service by automatically comparing the captured images of merchandise items against the point-of-sale transaction record without requiring human intervention. This automated self-verification process ensures accuracy while maintaining high productivity and checkout speed.
Data Source
AI summary
There are provided systems and methods relating to checking and confirming merchandise purchased at shopping facilities. In one form, the system includes: a shopping cart containing merchandise items to be purchased; a sales transaction database; a point-of-sales system that creates transaction records identified by transaction identifiers; and a mobile device used by an employee that includes a sensor to scan a paper or digital receipt to obtain the transaction identifier and a camera to capture images of the items in the shopping cart. The system also includes a control circuit that receives the transaction identifier, accesses the database using the identifier to determine the purchased items; analyzes the images of the merchandise items in the shopping cart and creates a computer vision receipt listing detected items; compares the purchased items with the detected items; and takes an action if there is a discrepancy.