Navigation System Dynamic Store Routing for Crowdedness
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Solution Overview
Problem
When a store is overcrowded, customers may choose not to enter, leading to lost profits for the business group, as existing techniques do not effectively redirect customers to less crowded stores within the same business group, potentially resulting in customers entering competing establishments instead.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus and method that acquires the crowdedness level of a destination store and suggests a less crowded store within the same business group to the customer via a mobile terminal, generating an advertisement to encourage a destination change, thereby minimizing waiting time and distance while offering incentives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If customers are directed to the intended store as destination, then customer satisfaction is improved, but when the store is overcrowded, customer wait time increases and profit is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the crowdedness level of the intended store and provides real-time feedback to the navigation device. When the crowdedness exceeds a threshold, the system automatically responds by suggesting alternative stores, creating a closed-loop feedback mechanism that dynamically adjusts routing based on current store conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the routing parameter from a fixed destination to a dynamic destination selection. Instead of always directing customers to the originally intended store, the system adjusts the destination parameter based on the crowdedness level, selecting alternative stores when necessary to optimize customer experience and reduce wait times.
2Loss of time
If customers are redirected to alternative stores, then customer wait time is reduced, but business group revenue may be lost if customers choose competing establishments
Solution Approach 1:
The navigation device acts as an intermediary between the customer and the stores. Instead of directly competing with other stores for customer attention, the navigation system mediates by providing unbiased routing information that happens to direct customers to less crowded stores within the same business group, thereby reducing wait times without sacrificing revenue.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates equipotential conditions by providing equal routing options to multiple stores within the business group. When the intended store is overcrowded, the system presents alternative stores at the same routing convenience level, ensuring that customers do not experience additional travel burden while still reducing wait times and maintaining revenue within the business group.
3Productivity
If real-time crowdedness monitoring is implemented, then customer routing is optimized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Stores within the business group autonomously monitor their own crowdedness levels and report this information to the navigation system. Each store acts as a self-service node, independently tracking and communicating its status without requiring centralized monitoring infrastructure, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture while enabling real-time routing optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing apparatus according to the present disclosure comprises a controller including at least one processor. The controller is configured to: acquire a level of crowdedness of an intended store, the intended store being a store as a destination of a vehicle in which a user is riding; if the level of crowdedness of the intended store is greater than a given threshold, extract a store with a lower level of crowdedness than the intended store as a given recommended store from among other stores belonging to a same business group as the intended store; generate a suggestion advertisement, the suggestion advertisement being an advertisement for suggesting changing the destination of the vehicle from the intended store to the given recommended store; and present the suggestion advertisement to the user riding in the vehicle via a mobile terminal, the mobile terminal being a terminal that moves with the vehicle.