Dynamic Delivery Tracking for Moving Customers in Retail
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional order delivery methods are inefficient in large retail environments as they require customers to wait or make additional stops to receive their orders, which can be inconvenient, especially for customers with disabilities or those managing children or pets.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for dynamically locating a moving customer within a delivery envelope using geolocation capabilities, allowing for real-time tracking and delivery of orders directly to the customer's current location, without the need for additional devices, enabling continuous movement within the retail environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional notification processes are used (paging devices, messages, or calling out customer names), then customers can be notified when their order is ready, but customers must stop their shopping activities and wait at a restricted location to receive the order
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically tracks the customer's location in real-time using geolocation technology from their mobile device. Instead of a static notification system that requires the customer to be at a fixed location, the system continuously updates the customer's position and routes the order to their current location, allowing them to move freely while maintaining reliable order delivery
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the customer and the order delivery process. The mobile device's geolocation capability serves as a mediator that enables the system to track and communicate with the customer dynamically, eliminating the need for physical presence at a restricted pickup location while ensuring reliable order delivery
2Reliability
If customers wait at a restricted location to receive their order, then the order can be delivered reliably, but the customer loses time and must interrupt their shopping experience
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary tracking of the customer's location throughout the order preparation process. By continuously monitoring the customer's position before the order is ready, the system can calculate the optimal delivery location in advance, ensuring reliable delivery while minimizing the time the customer needs to wait or stop shopping
Solution Approach 2:
The geolocation tracking operates continuously throughout the entire order fulfillment process, from placement to delivery. This continuous tracking eliminates interruptions in the customer's shopping experience by maintaining constant awareness of the customer's location, allowing the order to be delivered at any point without requiring the customer to stop or wait at a fixed location
3Measurement precision
If the system uses additional devices for location tracking, then customer location can be accurately identified, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system leverages the universal geolocation capability already present in customers' mobile devices. Instead of introducing specialized tracking devices, the system utilizes the existing GPS and location services in smartphones, which serve multiple functions including communication, navigation, and order tracking, thereby maintaining high location accuracy without increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The customer's mobile device serves itself by providing its own geolocation data to the system. The device's built-in location services automatically transmit position information without requiring additional tracking hardware or complex setup, enabling accurate location identification while keeping the system simple and leveraging resources the customer already possesses
Data Source
AI summary
A server or shop device has network connectivity and a processor. The server or shop device processes an order for one or more goods to be delivered. The server or shop device communicates with a customer device that has geolocation capability. The server or shop device identifies a geolocation of the customer, when the order is ready for delivery, using communication with the customer device. The server or shop device indicates the so identified geolocation, for the delivery.