Smart Shopping Assistant Navigation and Inventory Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shoppers often face inefficiencies in purchasing products due to the need for supplemental items, as they may not be aware of required accessories or tools, leading to wasted time and money from multiple trips to acquire these items.
Innovation Solution
A smart shopping assistant system that uses a mobile device to identify products, determine necessary supplemental items, and provide navigation to their location within a retail store, integrated with inventory tracking and alerts to ensure users have all required items before leaving the store.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a shopper purchases a product without knowing about required supplemental items, then the initial shopping trip is completed, but additional trips are needed to acquire accessories or tools
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by proactively identifying and notifying shoppers about supplemental items (accessories, tools, accessories) that are needed for product implementation before they complete their purchase. The shopping assistant displays information about required supplemental items and provides navigation to their locations, allowing shoppers to gather all necessary items in a single trip rather than making multiple return trips later.
2Ease of operation
If a shopper is unaware of supplemental items needed for product implementation, then the purchase decision is made quickly, but the shopper fails to obtain necessary accessories or tools
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the shopper's product selection and automatically providing information about required supplemental items. When a shopper views or selects a product, the shopping assistant retrieves and displays information about necessary accessories, tools, and components from the database, ensuring the shopper has complete information about what is needed for successful product implementation without having to research separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The shopping assistant acts as an intermediary between the product and the shopper, mediating the information flow about supplemental items. Instead of requiring the shopper to directly research or know about all required accessories and tools, the assistant system retrieves this information from the database and presents it in an accessible format, including location information and navigation guidance.
3Reliability
If a shopper returns home to discover missing supplemental items, then the purchase is complete, but additional time and money are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The system prevents the problem of discovering missing items after purchase by performing preliminary action - notifying the shopper about all required supplemental items before they leave the store. The assistant provides a comprehensive list of needed accessories, tools, and components, along with their locations and navigation directions, ensuring the shopper can complete all necessary acquisitions in one trip and avoid the waste of time and resources associated with return trips.
4Loss of information
If a shopper becomes aware of additional items needed while shopping, then the shopping experience can be improved, but the shopper is unsure or unfamiliar as to the location or availability of such items
Solution Approach 1:
The shopping assistant serves as an intermediary that simplifies the complex task of locating supplemental items. When a shopper identifies or is notified of needed items, the assistant automatically queries the database for location and availability information, then presents this information in an organized manner with navigation guidance. This intermediary function shields the shopper from the complexity of manually searching for items across multiple store locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time feedback about item locations and availability as the shopper moves through the store. The assistant continuously monitors the shopper's needs and provides updated information about where supplemental items can be found, including navigation directions to specific locations within the store, enabling the shopper to efficiently locate and acquire all necessary items.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system of providing product-specific information to a user during shopping excursions is disclosed. The user can access a smart shopping assistant application to search for supplemental items that may need to be purchased in order to assemble or implement a desired product. The user can maintain a current home inventory of tools and products through the application to quickly determine whether any of the supplemental items are already in the user's possession. The application can also guide the user from their current location to the location of the required item, as well as present reminders to the user about the supplemental items during their shopping trip to ensure the user returns home with all of the required items.