TECHNOLOGY – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: RETAIL ARCHIVE
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REVIEW THESE INFORMATIVE ARTICLES FROM 2019 – AND READ THOSE THAT INTEREST YOU
All shopping will be done at home as the retail industry is transformed - and shopping malls will become extinct (AI/Retail - 2019-12 - Singularity Hub)
Virtual reality, augmented reality, and 3D printing are converging with AI, drones, and 5G to transform shopping on every dimension. Shopping is becoming virtual and customized, with fast delivery and lower costs. All shopping will be done at home with the help of a virtual assistant. This will be a top-to-bottom transformation of the retail world. The article contains an example of shopping for a dress in 2029.
Browse a furniture catalogue digitally by superimposing holograms onto 3D versions of living rooms (AI/Furniture - 2019-10 - ZDNet)
Italian luxury furniture brand Natuzzi allows New York and London shoppers to digitally browse their catalogue, by superimposing holograms of furniture onto 3D versions of their living room, using a HoloLens 2
Last-mile delivery system: An autonomous local logistics hub paired with a robotic delivery truck (AI/Courier - 2019-06 - ZDNet)
Boxbot, a California delivery logistics startup, unveiled its autonomous last-mile delivery system: An automated local hub where packages are received, sorted, and prepped for delivery, along with a fleet of street-based driverless vehicles.
Domino’s will launch robot deliveries for Houston residents late in 2019 (AI/Courier - 2019-06 - Wired)
Later in 2019, Nuro’s robot will start delivering Domino’s pies and cheesy breads to customers in the Houston area. The R2 vehicle is about half the size of a sedan and is made exclusively for carrying goods. Customers will be issued a code to enter into a screen on the bot that opens one of its two compartments.
6,000 US store closures announced in 1Q2019, more than for all of 2018 (AI - 2019-04 - Business Insider)
A Coresight Research report found 5,994 store closings announced in 1Q2019, compared with 5,864 in all of 2018. Some retailers, including Fred’s and Family Dollar, are closing select stores in a bid to stay profitable, while chains like Payless have announced they are shuttering all of their stores.
Walmart unveils an AI-powered store of the future, now open to the public (Retail/Stores - 2019-04 - TechCrunch)
Walmart unveiled a “store of the future” in Levittown, NY for testing emerging technologies, including AI-enabled ceiling-mounted cameras and interactive displays. The store has 50,000 sq. ft retail space, is staffed by 100+ employees, and offers 30,000+ items. The store has traditional checkout stations, and the cameras monitor inventory levels, determining replenishment or replacement needs.
Startup to launch smart beauty shopping service in Dubai Mall's Galeries Lafayette (Retail/Personal Services - 2019-04 - Samsung)
The beauty AI startup ‘lululab’ unveiled its AI Beauty Store, an unmanned virtual store in Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping mall. The service offered includes self-skin analysis using a single selfie with a multispectral camera, recommended products, and an outcome report.
Fast food drive-thru using AI to take orders (Retail/Fast Food - 2019-02 - Futurism.com)
Colorado-based startup Valyant AI announced the launch of a voice-based AI customer service platform, which is now taking customer orders at the drive-thru at Denver’s Good Times Burgers and Frozen Custard.
Online & brick retail declines as consumerism declines among millennials in Western World (Retail/Dept Stores - 2019-02 - The Conversation)
British retail giants saw Christmas sales lowest since 2008, amidst 93,000 UK retail jobs lost in 2018. Marks and Spencers is closing 100 stores.
Autonomous package delivery to your doorstep (Retail/Courier - 2019-01 - TechCrunch)
Future concept: Autonomous van travels to a neighbourhood and releases robot dogs to deliver packages to doorsteps.
REVIEW THESE INFORMATIVE ARTICLES FROM 2018 – AND READ THOSE THAT INTEREST YOU
US grocery giant Kroger has started making completely autonomous deliveries (AI - 2018-12 - MIT Technology Review)
The US grocer Kroger is trialing one autonomous delivery vehicle with no human supervision from one store in Scottsdale, Arizona. Almost 1,000 test deliveries have been made with some human assistance. Customers will pay $5.95 to request the robotic delivery van, and will have to come out to unload it when it arrives.
Amazon's Go stores will use biometrics instead of cashiers to perform checkout (AI - 2018-11 - Biometric Update)
Amazon plans to open <3,000 Go stores by 2021. Alipay in China has released "pay-with-a-smile" facial payment. Retail specialists predict biometric payment systems will be used regularly by 2.6B people globally by 2023.
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Alibaba's Tmall and Ford have a vehicle 'vending machine' (AI - 2018-11 - ZDNet)
Customers can browse the cars (Ford or other makes) stored in the massive vending machine via their smartphones, make their purchase, and have the vehicle delivered at ground level – or qualify for a 3-day test drive.
Providing customers with any groceries, anytime, and anywhere in U.S. (AI - 2018-11 - MIT Technology Review)
The Kroger Co. and UK online supermarket Ocado announced an exclusive partnership agreement in the United States that will accelerate Kroger’s creation of a seamless shopping experience for America’s families.
7-Eleven is piloting cashier-less stores (AI - 2018-11 - TechCrunch)
7-Eleven is piloting cashier-less payments in 14 Dallas stores, and will expand to more cities in 2019.
The next big restaurant chain may not own any kitchens (AI - 2018-10 - TechCrunch)
Venture capitalists are funding start-ups that offer shared kitchens, storage facilities, and pickup counters for established chains and new food entrepreneurs. This creates major reductions in overhead costs, and allows for fast implementation of new concepts in fast food and casual dining.
New York City’s first Amazon Go cashierless store will open near the World Trade Center (AI - 2018-10 - Recode)
Amazon’s 7th cashierless convenience store is going to be located inside a shopping and office complex across from the World Trade Center in New York. The store will likely offer prepared foods, such as sandwiches and salads, alongside a small selection of packaged groceries, like soups and condiments.
Amazon may open 3,000 cashierless conveniene stores by 2021 (AI - 2018-09 - Bloomberg)
Amazon may open up to 3,000 AmazonGo cashierless convenience stores in the next 3 years, offering fresh prepared foods with or without a limited grocery selection.
Zippin is the first Amazon Go rival to open an automated checkout store (AI - 2018-08 - FastCompany)
A San Francisco startup has launched a small public demo that will grow into a 500 sq.ft. AI-driven convenience store in the coming months – Amazon Go’s first rival store.
AI is automating food preparation (AI - 2018-08 - TechRepublic)
Food industry jobs are increasingly being replaced by automation, starting with cashiers. McDonald’s plans to add mobile ordering and kiosks to 7-8,000 stores in the next 2 years. Food preparation is also being automated: Robots making pizza and ice cream; Self-cleaning robotic cooking pots; Food dispensed through automated machine.
AI supporting buying decisions decimate the number of buyers needed (AI - 2018-07 - New York Times)
Clothing design is one way AI is transforming the fashion and retail industries. Companies also routinely use AI to decide which clothes to stock and what to recommend to customers.
AI is automating food preparation (AI - 2018-06 - TechRepublic)
Food industry jobs are increasingly being replaced by automation, starting with cashiers. McDonald’s plans to add mobile ordering and kiosks to 7-8,000 stores in the next 2 years. Food preparation is also being automated: Robots making pizza and ice cream; Self-cleaning robotic cooking pots; Food dispensed through automated machine.
San Francisco is too expensive for restaurant wait staff to live in (AI - 2018-06 - New York Times)
Popular, even gourmet restaurants in expensive San Francisco can no longer find or afford servers. Clients scout their own table, order on-line, get their own water glass or wine, and silverware. Runners bring your order to the table, but there are no servers to wait on you.
Product purchasing at Amazon done better by robots (AI - 2018-06 - MIT Technology Review)
Amazon’s buyers have been replaced by algorithms, which take in thousands of inputs and are always running, and are smarter than any human. This started with automating product ordering and inventory-tracking, but now includes negotiating with major brands.
50,000 Las Vegas workers are ready to go on strike over fears of robots taking their jobs (AI - 2018-06 - Gizmodo)
The primary issue for 50,000 Culinary and Bartenders Union members is protection against robot replacements. They have voted to strike to secure their jobs. The culinary and hospitality industries are primary targets for automation in coming years.
Amazon to bring automated stores to Chicago, San Francisco as AI replaces human cashiers (AI - 2018-05 - TechRepublic)
After testing Amazon Go stores in Seattle, nationwide expansion is planned, starting with Chicago and San Francisco. In an Amazon Go store, customers walk in, scan an Amazon Go app, shop and leave. Amazon charges your account, and sends a receipt when you leave the store—no checkout line needed. The technology ‘Just Walk Out’ taps computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning tools to determine which items a customer put in their cart, and make the right charges.
Walmart's automated pickup stations highlight future of digital transformation in retail (AI/Walmart - 2018-04 - TechRepublic)
By December 2018, Walmart will have added 500 Pickup Towers to the 200 used in a pilot project in late 2017. The Towers are colossal structures within Walmart stores, allowing online buyers to pick up goods bought from the company’s website, just by scanning a barcode. 40% of the US population will have access to the towers by the end of the year.
”Farmer’s
Farmer’s Fridge offers conveniently-accessed fresh, wholesome meals in over 100 unmanned fresh food vending units across the Chicago and Milwaukee metro regions. The units are maintained by the company, which monitors and restocks them daily, with any unsold product donated to community members in need. Selections include salads, sandwiches, bowl meals, and snacks – with everything scratch-made using seasonal ingredients from local partners whenever possible.
80% of all items will be delivered autonomously within a decade (AI/Autonomous Vehicles - 2018-03 - Bloomberg)
Early discussion about driverless cars has focused on robot taxis, as removing a human driver seems like the quickest path to profitability. But an increasing number of companies—automakers, tech giants, startups, parcel services—are seeing autonomous delivery as the more lucrative venture. Consultant McKinsey & Co. predicts that in less than a decade, 80 percent of all items will be delivered autonomously.
Walmart files patent applications for drone shopping assistants and smart shopping carts (AI/Walmart - 2018-03 - The Verge)
Walmart has filed a host of patents, including a sensing device to make shopping carts smart and communicate with mobile devices; Tracking users through wearables; Drones that would assist customers shopping in-store with price verification and product location; and a method for detecting items placed in a container.
Amazon Go launches: The automated retail revolution begins (AI - 2018-01 - TechRepublic)
Amazon Go, the automated grocery store with no cashiers or checkout lines, is now open to the public in Seattle. To shop at the store, visitors simply walk into the 1,800-square foot space, scan their Amazon Go app, pick up the items they want, and leave. Amazon will charge your account and send a receipt when you leave the store.
REVIEW THESE INFORMATIVE ARTICLES FROM 2017 – AND READ THOSE THAT INTEREST YOU
Walmart testing cashierless stores and home delivery (AI/Walmart - 2017-12 - TechRepublic)
Walmart is testing an automated physical store concept, using computer vision to track and automatically bill customers’ purchases, eliminating the need for human cashiers. Walmart subsidiary Code Eight is experimenting with letting customers shop at their stores via text message. Guests may be able to text a photo of a specific item or a general description to a bot, which will select an item and add it to their order. The bots will use machine learning and natural language processing to provide the best items. Household items will be delivered to the customer for free within 24 hours, with other items arriving within two days.
Examples of automated store models, including 40 stores operated by 4 people (AI/Automated Stores - 2017-10 - Disrupters)
Five examples of automated stores:
1. Mobile, automatic grocery.stores in Shanghai, using self-driving electric vehicles that come to you, mobile payments, and wireless tagging of stock.
2. BingoBox has over 150 static automatic shops operating in China, offering 10 sq.m. stocked with a wide range of items, and a video-linked assistant. It only takes 4 staff to run 40 stores.
3. Alibaba is testing a pop-up café with no cashiers, using facial recognition on entry, custom food selection, and mobile phone payment.
4. Amazon is using their own staff to test a food store with no staff and no checkout. Customers scan their mobiles on their arrival, select products, and leave paying through their Amazon account.
5. Alibaba is pioneering a retail ecosystem that provides a bricks-and-mortar store catering to both online and offline shopping. Groceries – or a meal – can be ordered online to be picked up or delivered. 13 cashless supermarkets are already operating, mostly in Shanghai.
1. Mobile, automatic grocery.stores in Shanghai, using self-driving electric vehicles that come to you, mobile payments, and wireless tagging of stock.
2. BingoBox has over 150 static automatic shops operating in China, offering 10 sq.m. stocked with a wide range of items, and a video-linked assistant. It only takes 4 staff to run 40 stores.
3. Alibaba is testing a pop-up café with no cashiers, using facial recognition on entry, custom food selection, and mobile phone payment.
4. Amazon is using their own staff to test a food store with no staff and no checkout. Customers scan their mobiles on their arrival, select products, and leave paying through their Amazon account.
5. Alibaba is pioneering a retail ecosystem that provides a bricks-and-mortar store catering to both online and offline shopping. Groceries – or a meal – can be ordered online to be picked up or delivered. 13 cashless supermarkets are already operating, mostly in Shanghai.
Amazon takes next step in controlling and automating its delivery service (AI/Amazon - 2017-10 - Bloomberg)
Amazon is experimenting with a new delivery service intended to make more products available for free two-day delivery and to relieve overcrowding in its warehouses. Amazon will oversee pickup of packages from warehouses of third-party merchants selling goods on Amazon.com and their delivery to customers’ homes – work that is now often handled by UPS and FedEx.
Walmart introduces secure grocery delivery to your fridge (AI/Courier - 2017-10 - FastCode)
Walmart is partnering with smartlock makers at August Home, and the delivery service Deliv, to test (in Silicon Valley) grocery delivery straight to your refrigerator – even when you’re not home. The system starts with an order on Walmart.com; The Deliv driver takes your packages to your home; Ringing the doorbell initiates a phone notification; If you’re not home, the driver enters a one-time code to unlock the door, and stores your groceries in your fridge, while being monitored on security cameras linked to your phone.
Amazon Key starts a service in November 2017 that lets couriers unlock your front door (AI/Courier - 2017-10 - The Verge)
Amazon Key relies on Amazon’s new Cloud Cam and compatible smart lock. The camera is the hub, connected to the internet via your home Wi-Fi. The camera talks to the lock over Zigbee. Couriers with an in-home delivery package scan barcodes, and Amazon’s cloud grants permission by starting cameras recording. Couriers swipe screens, and doors unlock. Packages are dropped off, and doors relocked. Customers are notified, along with a short video showing the drop-off. The smart lock, connected camera, and free installation cost $250.
Shake Shack is launching a cashless burger joint in New York City in October 2017 (AI/Fast Food - 2017-10 - TechCrunch)
Shake Shack is trialing a cash-free New York location, where the only ordering option will be via kiosks. It will feature custom-made kiosks with touchscreen ordering, and built-in text message alerts for when orders are ready for pickup. Staff will provide customer support.
AI to replace retail workers sooner than expected (AI - 2017-09 - Citibank)
Citibank’s research paper involved several experts predicting the future of human employment. One forecast is that employment in the retail industry is likely to vanish. But there’s always going to be a need for humans to provide a face-to-face experience that robots can’t, and people who are really good at that will keep their jobs.
Wendy's digital transformation plans include self-serving kiosks in 1,000 restaurants in 2017 (AI/Automated Restaurant - 2017-07 - ZDNet)
Wendy’s in 2017: >1,000 restaurants with self-serving kiosks; Mobile ordering in >50% restaurants. 3 kiosks cost $12-15,000 with a 2-year payback and the gateway to mobile. Plans to use kiosk data to customize its sandwiches depending on location and time.
Amazon plans to ship, store, retrieve, and deliver products with almost no humans Involved (AI/Amazon - 2017-05 - Quartz)
The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon is exploring what role autonomous-vehicle technology could have in its business. The research hints at Amazon owning the delivery and logistics chain for its packages and making it as efficient as possible, which means eliminating human involvement (truck drivers, warehouse workers, maybe eventually even pilots) wherever possible.
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