Location-Based Shopping List System for Purchase History Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers often forget products they need to purchase while shopping, even with a shopping list, and may inadvertently buy items they have recently acquired, leading to unnecessary purchases and store visits.
Innovation Solution
A location-based shopping list system that allows users to access their previous shopping lists on their mobile devices, using GPS to identify the current shopping location and retrieve lists of products previously purchased at that store, enabling them to determine what to buy or avoid buying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If consumers use a shopping list during shopping, then they can remember products they need to purchase, but they may still forget additional products or buy items they already own
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically retrieving and displaying previous shopping lists and purchase histories before the consumer completes their current shopping trip. This allows consumers to review what they have bought recently and what they previously purchased at this store, preventing both forgotten items and duplicate purchases before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by providing real-time information about previous purchases and shopping lists to the consumer during the shopping trip. The mobile device displays feedback about what has been purchased recently and what was on previous shopping lists, allowing consumers to adjust their current shopping decisions based on this information.
2Reliability
If consumers make multiple store visits to purchase forgotten items, then they can ensure they have all needed products, but they waste time and resources on unnecessary trips
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by providing consumers with comprehensive purchase information before they leave the store. By displaying previous shopping lists and purchase histories at the point of need, consumers can make informed decisions about what to purchase now versus what to buy later, reducing the need for additional store visits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing consumers to independently access and review their own shopping history and previous lists through their mobile devices. Consumers can autonomously determine what they need to purchase without requiring assistance from store staff or making unnecessary return trips.
3Loss of information
If the system provides comprehensive purchase history, then consumers can make informed decisions, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device serves as an intermediary between the complex backend systems (payment servers, databases) and the consumer. It handles the complexity of retrieving, processing, and displaying purchase history information, while presenting a simple, user-friendly interface to the consumer through familiar mobile applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses universal mobile devices that consumers already possess and are familiar with. By leveraging the existing functionality of smartphones and tablets, the system avoids requiring specialized hardware, thereby reducing overall system complexity while still providing comprehensive purchase history access.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system helps users remember forgotten items and avoid repeat purchases, reducing unnecessary store visits, conserving resources, and enhancing convenience by providing a comprehensive history of purchases for informed shopping decisions.
Implementation Method 1
The communication can include information representative of a present shopping location of the user
Data Source
AI summary
A user can obtain a list of products previously purchased at a store where the user is presently shopping via the user's mobile device. The user can use this list to determine if any of the products previously purchased should again be purchased on the present shopping trip. For example, the user can choose from an app on the mobile device to view products purchased by location. A location based shopping list system can then determine at which store the user is shopping based upon a GPS location provided by the user's mobile device. The location based shopping list system can then return the list of product previously purchased at that store.