Mobile AR Shopping Overlay for Retail Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small retailers face challenges in providing an engaging and cost-effective augmented reality shopping experience due to the need for capital-intensive sensor and display systems, which can be prohibitively expensive and raise privacy concerns, especially during closed hours when potential customers cannot complete purchases.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device-based augmented reality shopping application that allows consumers to view and interact with virtual representations of physical store displays using three-dimensional models and two-dimensional projections, enabling e-commerce functions, data aggregation, and consumer incentives, without the need for extensive hardware infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sensor and display systems are deployed to provide augmented reality shopping experience, then customer engagement and information provision are improved, but capital costs and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a camera to capture images of the shopping display and creates a two-dimensional overlay with virtual information that copies and augments the physical display. Instead of deploying complex sensor and display systems in the physical store, the invention creates a virtual copy of the shopping experience that can be viewed through mobile devices, thereby reducing hardware infrastructure requirements while maintaining customer engagement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a mobile device as an intermediary between the customer and the shopping display. The mobile device's camera captures the physical display, and the application processes images to overlay virtual information. This intermediary approach eliminates the need for complex in-store sensor and display systems, reducing capital costs while providing enhanced shopping information.
2Loss of information
If interactive screens and sensors are mounted on store windows to detect shopper interest, then product information provision is improved, but privacy concerns and capital costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the store window actively detect and display information to passersby (which raises privacy concerns about tracking), the invention inverts the approach by requiring the customer to actively point their mobile device at the display to receive information. This passive information provision approach reduces privacy concerns while still providing comprehensive product information when requested.
3Loss of energy
If physical store hours are limited, then operational costs are reduced, but potential sales opportunities are lost during closed hours
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the shopping display universally accessible at any time through mobile devices. The same physical display that serves customers during store hours can also serve as an online catalog and ordering interface after hours. This multi-functionality allows the store to maintain limited operational hours while capturing sales opportunities throughout the day, as customers can browse and order products at any time.
Data Source
AI summary
A consumer user can perform a number of augmented reality shopping operations using a local client shopping application executable on a mobile device. Features related to implementations of the current subject matter can include, but are not limited to, the ability to view an augmented reality depiction of a shopping display using the mobile device and to execute various “e-commerce” functions accessible via the augmented reality depiction. Related methods, systems, articles of manufacture, and the like are described.