when entering the supermarket the customer has to choose between a self-service and a traditional checkout. if he wants to use the self-service system he receives a scanner pistol with an attached screen. the scanner is mobile but can be attached to the basket by carrier.
the customer now enters the supermarket and chooses the items to buy. before putting the items into his basket he has to scan it with the scanner. the process of scanning the articles is done item by item while selecting them – not all at once when checking out. the advantage is obvious: the waiting time at the checkout is reduced plus the customer can put all his articles already into the shopping bags. he does not have to lift everything twice (1. into the basket, 2. onto the band-conveyor). he just takes the scanner to a special checkout, pays the amount that is displayed on the scanner and leaves the store.
of course i was curious how ICA ensures that all articles are properly scanned and asked the lady at the cash register. she explained that all self-service customers have to be registered for the ICA club card. the first time the customer wants to use the self-service checkout he has to scan all articles one more time at the cash register. by doing it that way ICA ensures a proper handling of the scanner and shows that they control a proper handling.
very interesting is that most of the miscalculations occur as disadvantage for the customer and not for ICA. most customers are very reliable and scan every article, the lady at the cash register explained to me. but while shopping they often take articles out of the basket and put them back into the shelves (because they like other articles better or decide to not buy them). very often they forget to delete the article from the scanner because of different reasons.
habit and assumption: the customer is used that an article that is not in the basket does not have to be paid for. we learned this for several years and it will take us some time until we realize that we have to change this habit.
usability: it is easy to delete an article from the scanner. to add an article the user only has to press one button. to delete an article he has to use several navigation buttons and scroll through the shopping list on the small screen in order to find and delete an article. i am not sure if this usability mistake is really a mistake or wanted. from an ICA perspective it would make sense to design the delete process as complex as possible. they actually forgot to describe this process step in the manual of the self-service system.
despite the article removal the ICA solution is the most user friendly solution i have seen so far. it works very well, is reliable, handy and comfortable.
the virtualization of products is a topic that becomes more and more important for consumer good companies. a couple of years ago the aviation and car industries were the only ones that used this technology because it was too expensive to produce a ‘sample airplane’ the customer could sell in. but by setting pressure on sample cost savings, development time and focusing more and more on personalization and customization even the clothing industry starts to focus on virtual products. especially for B2B but as well for B2C purposes virtual products can be very helpful.
adidas virtual shoe-fitting mirror
a very good B2C example is the magic mirror that was developed by the Frauenhofer institute in cooperation with adidas. the customer looks into a mirror that visualizes a product on the mirror-picture. the technology is working pretty well and the customer gets a good idea on how the shoes would fit.
another example is the augmented virtual dressing room that was developed by Zugara. instead of a mirror the technology is based on a webcam. the technology is as simple as promising. the webcam recognizes a printed aztec code the user has to hold in front of his body. by moving the Aztec code he can adjust the virtual shirt and finally put the paper away and try different products on. a very impressive tool. watch the video.
zugara augmented reality dressing room
there are different scenarios on how such technology could be used; personalization and customization is named at front. but it offers as well huge potential on reduction of costs and time saving for development. nowadays a retail store has to have every item available in all sizes and all color ranges. You only sell what you have physical available.
by using virtual samples the product could be produced when it is already sold – so called ‘just in time’ production. as well the range wouldn’t need to be reduced to a few color ways or sizes. you could sell whatever you can produce – without having anything physically available.
of course there is the problem with the feel. we like to touch, which is good, before ordering a product. I agree this is a problem that has to be solved. and I am very confident that we will find a solution!
stefan fahrngruber, an old friend of mine (we went to the technical university in vienna), recently graduated as ‘master of arts in digital art’ at the University of applied art in vienna. as a final task all students have to design a master piece that is related to the master topic, obviously, and stefan designed a so called TechnoTactil. he descibes it as followed:
TechnoTactil by Stefan Fahrngruber
‘TechnoTactil presents an alternative for perceiving digital content differently. The user touches a 12 x 15mm large surface with his/her fingers that changes form while displaying a fragment of a projected digital image. Dual axis mount makes it possible to explore digital images with this variable relief surface.’ (video)
since the TechnoTactil is a piece art, the practical aspect might not be so valid for it. but my first question was: did you try to combine it with google maps?’ and he sure did. a ‘bigger’ TechnoTactil could present maps and surfaces in 3D, even moving ones. maybe even 3D items, depending on how you would build it. it maybe is not the future technology since it is very mechanical, still I find it enspiring to think of new ways for future 3D solutions…
there have been a lot of discussions about the tesla car, nevertheless i want to share my thoughts about it. from my pov the tesla is most needed car ever. not only because its an electric car but because it understands our need for comfortable, fast, sporty – but at the same time energy efficient, electric energy driven car. so far no other company presented an electric car that is really attractive for the mass market – to travel fast, comfortable and independent and present some kind of a status. this is what the tesla is about.
now, when i am talking with people they usually argue the price and the lasting of the battery. let us get rid of the myth.
75.000 euro for a car is a lot, but its a sports car. the alternative is the new tesla model s, a 7(!) seater for only around 40.000 euro. still a lot of money. but take into account that the tesla costs only around one dollar (70 cent) on 100 km (needed electricity), 100 km with a VW Golf 6 is around 10 euro (needed gas). taking 100.000 km as a benchmark you save 9300 euro. so, we are already at 32.000 euro. its not that bad anymore, is it?
everyone can produce solar power. but noone can advocate oil. while the price for oil is raising and drivers of the combustion engine will have to pay more and more, prices for solar collectors fall and driver of electric cars can operate their cars for free.
driving an energy efficient car is good for the feeling of self-worth.
i have a dream… that one day i will park my tesla in the garage of my low energy house and charge it by the energy provided by the solar panels from top of the roof…
the solar panel industry is growing rapidly. solar cells are getting more efficient every year, thinner and lasting. between 2000 and 2007 the efficiency of solar cells raised from 24% AM0 to 30% AM0. current research is even targeting conversion efficiencies of 30-60% while retaining low cost materials and manufacturing techniques. at the same time the size and thickness was reduced and the material flexibility raised tremendously. as well engineers started thinking of different ways of producing solar technology and new use cases.
the most innovative and by that most impressive approach is printed electronics. “Printed electronics is expected to facilitate widespread and very low-cost, low-performance electronics useful for applications not typically associated with conventional high performance (i.e., silicon-based) electronics.” flexible displays, smart labels, animated posters, active clothing and solar cells can be printed in future.
finally solar panels would be flexible, sustainable and affordable for everybody. for the solar panel industry this enables new use cases such as “printed solar-panel-wallpapers”. green energy would be everywhere around us, dropping off the wall. even printed solar panels are only around 40% as efficient as traditional ones, the quantity of applications will bring the solar technology to the next level.
power plastic layer setup from konarka technologies
and the question of commission is already resolved: the solar cells will come out of your inkjet printer. us-based company Konarka Technologies, Inc. has just debuted a printable solar panel film that uses a common inkjet printing process to manufacture paper-thin photovoltaic solar cells. using the existing and very simple technologies of your office inkjet printer, Konarka has essentially replaced ink with the solar cell material, and paper with a thin flexible sheet of plastic. innovation at its best.
when entering the supermarket the customer has to choose between a self-service and a traditional checkout. if he wants to use the self-service system he receives a scanner pistol with an attached screen. the scanner is mobile but can be attached to the basket by carrier.
