For smart carts future retail or: How I invented the wheel Bashny.Net

Once read in a clever book that any invention, in fact, is a consequence of negative experiences. Like, so people arranged that once stuffed himself a painful lump, the next time he is required to erect on his head something like a helmet. Adoption of a controversial, not applicable to all, but in most cases is true.

Tired of people pushing loads on the ground - there was a wheel zadolbalsya farmer Neolithic dig soil digging stick, found in the remains of a family dinner wide and flat buffalo bone (which, incidentally, a shovel and then called), strapped it to the diggers - invented the shovel. And invented the lightning rod for sure the one who once properly sharahnulo zipper, otherwise how to think of this.



There were, of course, and those who are living on the most necessary, because of the genius who used to think for all without reference to personal experience (da Vinci and Tesla, for example), but this is another story. Basically, the invention is a logical outcome of its own empirical way. That's about I recently "invented" smart cart for a supermarket.

The atmosphere for creativity in the day was favorable - was traditional for shopping Saturday, and offices were opened in a super reason only three out of ten. In the cart I had everything you might need for a week the family of five people with two small children, and they themselves own persona. Behind roared pretty big queue, and in front of me in the truck on a folding "child" shelf sat a younger child, pulling the hair out of my beard, and laughing heartily at this (probably something funny to think). Elder was sitting in the cart itself and promptly folded back into it all that I have just laid out in front of the cash register tape. Overall, the box office was approaching, and the deadlock is not shifted. Tender-hearted aunt standing in front, tried to help, but was immediately doused juice. Eventually, with the help and thanks to the skill of the cashier, pay for purchases is still possible, but the same thing happened after the box office - senior began to spread from the truck that I was trying to fold it back, and the younger, considerably thinned out by the time the beard engaged mustache.

all as would tell us i>

Hell retreated, went home. Recent Experience was so bright that the nervous system began to send impulses to the brain immediately after the shock from the experience a little passed. What if, she will serve as the trolley POS-terminal? Yes, and additional features such functional provides plenty. And by the way I already drew a representation of how to avoid the shifting of a sieve, optimize the process of purchases. To the joy of the buyers and sellers.

Proud benefit that carry humanity houses still decided to google on the topic, in order to verify the originality of ideas. The disappointment was cruel. It turns out the Internet sample smart carts have long existed in the ideas, projects and prototypes. And in Shanghai Lotus hypermarket chain even successfully tested. Moreover, the understanding of the "mad truck" from their creators very different.

Designers Kitai Pak and Inyong Jung, for example, in his concept proposed a model that generates the motion of electricity, and then store it to use in your grid. And developers carts Smart Shopping Cart Chinese company SK Telecom stocked his shopping bag on wheels built tablet computer that helps customers navigate the store and choose the purchase.

But here's the most coveted opportunity - pay by truck - offers only one, the most distinct and most appropriate my ideas of "smart cart" pattern, incidentally, designed by Russian startups. And most importantly, it is presented to search for co-financing platform for collective investment VCStart (shame on me), a blog that I actually here Habré, and lead. Although, it is rather not my Faile, and interest rate of start-ups in attracting investments in our platform. Launched just over a week, and they have already registered 332. regularly review new, but many somehow become (that certainly pleases), but for all will not follow.

In general, the project seemed very interesting, and I decided to write about it. Yes, and he was interested not only me - before the funding is far, it is preceded by the stage of collecting community and CartPay (so called the St. Petersburg startup), has managed to collect 2% of the target amount, which is more than $ 3 million.

What offers CartPay:

Buyers: Save time by eliminating the queues to the booths or self-service terminals;

To shops: Increase capacity desks and self-service terminals (and as a consequence, increase customer loyalty, and in the long term, an increase in the amount of average check) and a reduction in operating expenses.

What it looks like from the side:

The buyer goes through the store and folds in his miracle-cart all that drops his gaze and enough money beforehand bringing goods to the integrated scanner reads the barcode. Then coming to the box office and paying by waiting for his check. Actually, that's all.

I remember something similar in Russia tested in its "Store of the Future» X5 Retail Group, introduced the technology of RFID (Radio-frequency identification). However, the overhead of implementing RFID, on the use to which it is built, were high and currently testing laboratory X5 Retail Group to study possibilities RFID, seeks to reduce them. The results are - in the six years the cost of a single label dropped from 16 to 4 rubles, which still does quite a lot for widespread implementation. In addition, the expensive costs reading equipment for RFID. X5 Retail Group company is not poor, but to trade at a loss will not.

In opposition to the RFID-system in CartPay has a number of distinct advantages:
• Using smart carts do not require additional labeling of goods;
• Carts are working with conventional cash registers and self-service terminals already installed;
• The solution is simple and cheap scales within a single store.

In addition, customers shopping with optional implementation of the system will be offered a mobile application that provides quick navigation around the store and help keep shopping lists. Also, the application will check the shelf life of the product and the amount of calories in it - in my opinion, just megapoleznaya function, especially for people with low vision, considering the small print on the packaging of most products.

Ensuring the safety of the truck (thing unique, valuable, and even scale it built, abut) and the product it looks like this: clever trolley itself controls the actions of the buyer and the weight of the goods.

As written on the website of the project, "if the buyer deviates from the standard scenario of behavior, the store employees are informed about it and the buyer can be checked at the ticket counter or self-service terminal." Here I need some clarification, which I received by contacting the CEO of the project Eugene Evnukovym
Eugene, let man not, to put it mildly, honest, laid on the bottom of the trolley something with unscanned code with intent to steal this product. Discover the intention of theft and it can be prevented only by the weights? I>

If the truck is put something without scanning the bar code on this and informed buyer and store employees in the calculation. And if the latter is a signal of suspicious actions of the buyer, on the basis thereof, they will be able to check it. In the future we plan to integrate with CCTV systems and pattern recognition. I> blockquote>
And if the error weights, or merchandise that a dishonest man hid in the truck, quite easy? I>

The current prototype determines the weight change when put on the scales one cigarette. More accurate answer until I can not give, you need to wait for the test trolley scenarios of use. Of course, there is a very easy item and have not received it fixed, but that there are specific signaling frame to the box office, and other instruments of protection against theft. I> blockquote>
How do you assess the potential CartPay? I>

From the large retail stores 200K worldwide in 35K installed self-service system at $ 800M (VDC Research). All the self-service market potential is estimated at $ 4, 3B. Our solution integrates several areas of self-service systems. This point fits in infographics, which is listed below. I> blockquote>
 

Even now we can say that our solution is not worse than the widespread today in the simple service cashier. But, at the same time, the potential of improving the service cashier exhausted, but we only did he offer. I> blockquote>
Someone already interested in the introduction of the product? I>

there is interest among retailers. But they all want to see the complete solution for testing. They do not want to invest in development. Of course, there are also skeptical reviews, but they are not backed by anything, just do not believe, as often happens with something new. But Jobs and Gates, too, because at the time, not all believe))) i>
Blockquote> Well, optimistically. However, because of the design features of the trolley in such children do not ride, but it has a bunch of other benefits. Now we need to - seed investments that are needed start-ups to distribute their offspring numerous prototypes willing to test it.
Incidentally, you can buy a share in this project on our platform for collective investment VCStart.com (30 $). & Quot;
A website of the startup Sartpay.co can request a test prototype.

Source: habrahabr.ru/company/vcstart/blog/236903/