Retail Floorspace Measurement via Mobile Image Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retailers face challenges in accurately determining sales or profit per square unity of measure and identifying high-performing areas within a retail space, as existing methods fail to track product locations effectively during customer purchases.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that uses mobile shopping technologies and indoor positioning systems to capture item identifiers, location data, and pricing information, which is then stored and visualized to generate heat charts or other visualizations that highlight sales performance across different areas of the retail space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional area measurement methods are used, then square footage can be calculated, but sales or profit per square unity cannot be accurately determined
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy of the physical retail environment by mapping store locations and creating virtual representations of product positions. This digital twin allows tracking of product movements and sales data without physically monitoring each item, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and information loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical tracking methods (manual inventory checks, physical monitoring) with electronic and optical systems including mobile device cameras, image recognition algorithms, and digital mapping technologies. This substitution enables precise tracking of product locations and sales data that would be impossible with manual methods.
2Reliability
If product locations are tracked manually, then some location data can be obtained, but accurate real-time tracking across multiple locations is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous automated tracking of product locations using mobile device cameras and image recognition. As customers move products between locations, the system continuously captures and processes images to update location data in real-time, eliminating the need for periodic manual inventory checks and providing uninterrupted location information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces mobile devices as intermediaries between customers and the tracking system. Customers inadvertently capture product location data through their shopping activities, and the system processes these images to extract location information. This intermediary approach enables passive, continuous tracking without requiring dedicated tracking hardware or customer participation.
3Productivity
If automated tracking systems are implemented, then real-time location data can be captured, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the universal functionality of mobile devices that customers already possess. The same camera and processing capabilities used for general mobile device functions are repurposed for product location tracking. This multi-use approach enables automated tracking without requiring specialized expensive hardware, reducing system complexity while maintaining high productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments herein each include at least one of systems, methods, software, apps, and visualizations for floorspace management. In particular, some embodiments leverage mobile shopping and other technologies to identify when and where a customer selects items within a retail space and completes the purchase. This data is then stored and visualizations are generated from this data for areas and periods. Such embodiments enable identification of well-performing and under-performing areas of retail space based on criteria pertinent to the particular user.