Context-Aware Customer Assistance System for Physical Retail
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Solution Overview
Problem
The traditional method of shopping in physical stores is inefficient, as customers often spend time searching for products and assistance, leading to dissatisfaction and a decline in interest in brick-and-mortar shopping due to the inconvenience of finding information and assistance.
Innovation Solution
A computing device system that determines its location within a physical store and provides tiered customer assistance, starting with AI-driven product information, escalating to remote human support, and finally in-person help, to assist users in completing purchases without the need for manual searches or finding sales associates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If customers manually search for product information using mobile devices at physical stores, then they can obtain additional information, but the process becomes time-consuming and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically detecting customer location within the store and pushing relevant product information without requiring manual searches. The computing device monitors contextual information including location data and automatically retrieves and displays product details, specifications, and availability status.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-fetching and preparing product information before the customer actually needs it. The system proactively identifies products the customer is likely to be interested in based on location and pushes information in advance, eliminating the need for reactive manual searches.
2Ease of operation
If customers search for in-store associates for assistance, then they can get help with product information, but in-store associates may not always be easy to find
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces the need to find human associates with an automated information delivery system. The computing device automatically provides product information, specifications, and purchase assistance based on contextual understanding of customer needs and location, making assistance immediately available without searching for staff.
Solution Approach 2:
The computing device acts as an intermediary between the customer and the information they need. Rather than directly contacting associates or manually searching online, the system mediates by automatically retrieving and delivering relevant product information through the mobile device interface.
3Loss of information
If manual searches are executed for product information, then additional information can be obtained, but the searches may not always produce the exact answer needed
Solution Approach 1:
The system delivers locally optimized information tailored to the specific context of the customer's location and needs within the store. Rather than providing generic search results, the system pushes precise product information relevant to items the customer is currently viewing or near, ensuring high accuracy and relevance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback loops where customer interactions with pushed information are monitored and used to refine future information delivery. The system learns from customer behavior patterns and adjusts the precision and relevance of information pushed, improving accuracy over time based on actual customer needs.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is described that identifies, based on contextual information associated with a device that is located at a physical location associated with a merchant, a product that a user of the device is at the physical location to purchase. The system executes an autonomous search query for product information that is predicted to assist the user in completing a purchase of the product, from the merchant, at the physical location. The system sends the product information to the device, and for subsequent output. The system determines whether a degree of likelihood that the user will complete the purchase in response to receiving the product information satisfies a likelihood threshold, if not, the system executes a remote assistance module accessed by the device to provide a virtual environment in which a human provides additional information that the user needs to complete the purchase.