Combined In-Store Shopping Transaction System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems do not facilitate contemporaneous and combined in-store shopping among multiple individuals, leading to increased checkout times as each individual must pool their items and process them separately at a point of sale.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilizes a central server and multiple mobile devices, each associated with an individual, to scan products and communicate scan data for consolidation into a single transaction, reducing checkout time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple individuals shop independently and pool items at checkout, then individual shopping flexibility is improved, but end-of-transaction time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the shopping process by allowing multiple individuals to shop independently using separate mobile devices, while the transaction processing is consolidated through a single lead shopper's device. This segmentation maintains individual shopping flexibility while enabling efficient combined checkout.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges multiple individual shopping transactions into a single combined transaction. The lead shopper's mobile device consolidates item selections from all participants, and the transaction is processed together, reducing the total checkout time while maintaining individual item selection flexibility.
2Device complexity
If a single mobile device is used for scanning and payment, then transaction processing is simplified, but multi-person shopping capability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device software application is designed with multi-functionality to serve both individual and group shopping needs. It can operate as a standalone shopping scanner for individual use or as part of a combined shopping session where it coordinates with other devices, making the system adaptable to different shopping scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The lead shopper's mobile device acts as an intermediary that receives item selections from multiple participants' devices and consolidates them into a single transaction. This intermediary role enables multi-person shopping while maintaining the simplicity of single-device transaction processing at the point of sale.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for contemporaneous and combined in-store shopping among multiple individuals uses: a central server that is in communication with a database storing information associated with products located within a physical store (in-store products); and a plurality of mobile devices, with each mobile device being located within the physical store and in communication with the central server. A communication to the central server from one of the mobile devices initializes a combined shopping session in which two or more mobile devices of the plurality of mobile devices located within the physical store are used to scan in-store products. Information associated with each in-store product scanned by the two or more mobile devices is retrieved from the database and added to one of a plurality of individual shopping transactions. The information within the plurality of individual shopping transactions is subsequently combined into a single, combined shopping transaction.