Systems, devices and methods for determining item availability in a shopping space
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Solution Overview
Problem
In modern retail environments, there is a need to improve customer experience and convenience, as customers often go unanswered during peak hours due to insufficient staff, high turnover rates, and challenges with tasks like maintaining store cleanliness and inventory management, leading to low satisfaction and increased competition from online shopping.
Innovation Solution
A shopping assistance system utilizing motorized transport units controlled by a central computer system to assist customers and workers, including features like item delivery, inventory management, and route optimization, to enhance the shopping experience and operational efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If more employees are hired to assist customers during peak hours, then customer service quality improves, but labor cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service through automated monitoring where the retail system automatically detects item availability status using sensors and cameras, and notifies customers via mobile devices without requiring staff intervention for routine availability checks
Solution Approach 2:
Manual inventory checking by employees is replaced with automated sensing systems including weight sensors, computer vision cameras, and RFID readers that continuously monitor item availability and transmit data to the central processing system
2Measurement precision
If manual inventory monitoring is performed frequently, then inventory accuracy improves, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing systems operate continuously to monitor item availability in real-time as customers pick up or return items, eliminating the need for periodic manual inventory counts and providing continuous accurate stock information
Solution Approach 2:
Manual visual inspection and physical counting of inventory by staff is replaced with automated weight sensors on shelves that detect item removal/addition, computer vision systems that track item locations, and RFID readers that monitor stock levels without human intervention
3Stability of the object's composition
If employees are deployed to handle routine tasks like cart collection and aisle maintenance, then store organization improves, but time available for customer assistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects abandoned carts through sensors and cameras, and notifies staff only when collection is needed, allowing employees to respond to actual organizational needs rather than performing routine manual checks and maintenance tasks
Solution Approach 2:
Sensors and cameras provide real-time feedback on store conditions such as aisle blockages, abandoned carts, and out-of-stock items, enabling employees to respond to actual problems rather than performing predetermined routine tasks
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatuses, and methods for determining item availability are provided. A computer implemented method for determining item availability in a shopping space comprising: receiving a request for an item for purchase from a customer, querying an inventory database to determine whether the item for purchase is in stock, in an event that the item for purchase is not in stock according to the inventory database: determining an out of stock response to present to the customer, in an event that the item for purchase is in stock according the inventory database: instructing a motorized transport unit to travel to a display space in the shopping space corresponding to the item for the purchase, determining whether the item is available in the display space based on information captured by one or more sensors of the motorized transport unit, and in an event that the item for purchase is not available in the display space: determining an item unavailable response to present to the customer.