Point of Sale Bottom-of-Basket Detection via Product Association
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retail point of sale systems often struggle to accurately identify and account for products located in the lower support units of shopping carts, leading to potential losses and inefficiencies due to obstructed views and manual verification processes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that uses product association data and artificial intelligence to analyze scanned products and notify cashiers about the likelihood of complementary products in the lower support unit, allowing for real-time updates and improved accuracy through user input and machine learning algorithms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual verification of lower support unit products is performed, then accuracy of inventory tracking is improved, but productivity and transaction speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of product association data and sales trends before the transaction is completed. By pre-calculating the likelihood that complementary products are in the lower support unit based on historical data and current cart contents, the system prepares predictions in advance, allowing cashiers to quickly verify only when necessary rather than manually checking every transaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback loop where user input from cashiers about whether complementary products were actually found in the lower support unit is used to update and refine the product association data and algorithms. This continuous feedback improves the accuracy of predictions over time, reducing false positives and minimizing the need for manual verification while maintaining high accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If manual scanning of all products is performed to verify stock levels, then measurement precision of inventory is improved, but loss of time and productivity worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service inventory tracking by automatically monitoring product associations and generating alerts only when complementary products are likely to be in the lower support unit. Instead of requiring employees to manually scan every product, the system serves itself by using sales data and product relationships to identify and flag potential inventory issues autonomously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual scanning process with an automated electronic system that uses transducers, databases, and algorithms to detect and track products. The mechanical action of manually scanning each item is substituted with electronic detection and computational analysis of product associations and sales trends.
3Ease of operation
If the view of lower support unit is obstructed, then ease of operation worsens, but device complexity increases due to additional detection systems
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an intermediary approach by relying on product association data and sales trends as mediators to infer the presence of products in the lower support unit. Instead of directly viewing or physically accessing the obstructed area, the system uses computational intermediaries (algorithms analyzing product relationships) to detect and alert about products that are likely present but not directly visible.
Data Source
AI summary
In one implementation, products in a shopping cart are provided to a point of sale system. The products are removed from the shopping cart and scanned with a transducer system. A database association system queries a database and determines the likelihood that the scanned products are indicative of products located in a lower support unit of the shopping cart. A notification is displayed on a user interface indicating the possibility of products located in the lower support unit of the shopping cart. A user is then queried as to whether a product was located in the lower support unit and the association system is updated to reflect a revised probability that the scanned products are indicative of products located in a lower support unit of the shopping cart.