Remote Partial Transaction Interface Control for Self-Service Checkout Content
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing self-service checkout (SCO) systems lack effective methods to engage customers during transactions, missing opportunities for retailers to provide additional content or services due to the captive attention of consumers during the checkout process.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for remotely controlling a portion of the transaction interface at a transaction terminal, allowing retailers to dynamically present content or services through an agent on the terminal, integrating with existing workflows without interruption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a self-service checkout terminal is used to enable customers to perform checkouts independently, then checkout efficiency and customer service capacity are improved, but the opportunity for retailers to engage customers and present additional content or services is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that includes a remote computing device and a local computing device at the checkout terminal. This intermediary architecture allows the terminal to maintain its self-service functionality while enabling remote presentation of additional content and services through a portion of the display interface, thus capturing customer engagement opportunities without compromising checkout efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The display interface at the checkout terminal is segmented into multiple portions. One portion is dedicated to the primary checkout transaction information, while another portion can be remotely controlled to display additional content such as promotions, product information, or targeted advertisements. This segmentation allows both checkout efficiency and customer engagement to coexist by providing separate display areas for different types of information
2Reliability
If the entire transaction interface is controlled locally at the terminal, then transaction processing is simple and reliable, but flexibility to dynamically present targeted content or services is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a remote dimension to the traditionally local transaction interface control. By introducing a remote computing device that can control a portion of the display interface over a network connection, the system maintains local reliability for core transaction processing while gaining remote adaptability for dynamic content presentation. This dimensional extension allows the interface to serve multiple functions simultaneously
3Loss of information
If a remote agent is introduced to control part of the transaction interface, then customer engagement and content presentation capability are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The remote computing device is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a content delivery system for customer engagement and as a data collection platform for gathering customer interaction information. This universal design reduces overall system complexity by consolidating multiple functions into a single remote agent, eliminating the need for separate systems for content delivery and data collection
Data Source
AI summary
A portion of a Transaction Interface (TI) is overridden and remotely controlled during a transaction at a transaction terminal. The portion is remotely hosted from the terminal and controlled during the interaction through interaction with an agent on the terminal and a remote host application on a cloud/server. The portion overrides an existing screen or object of the TI without altering the TI workflow and other existing screens and objects associated with the TI workflow during the transaction. The portion may be content or a service that is remotely hosted from the cloud/server.