BizBahrain Magazine Nov-Dec 2017

Expert Opinion | Information Technology
know which precise item has been sold;
this can help to counter fraudulent
returns. RFID can also automatically
inform employees about when to
replace items that are past their self-by
dates.
Further, by using a shopper’s cart or
smartphone to track his or her location
within the store, a retailer can send
vouchers or shopping suggestions
for nearby products straight to the
customer. Alternatively, if customers
are not in the store but nearby, the
retailer can tempt them in with special
offers, potentially based on their
past purchases, or by offering loyalty
rewards for stepping into the store,
buying products, scanning barcodes or
other activities. If the shopper has been
using a smartphone to make purchases
at home, the retailer can also suggest
in-store products to complement the
purchases already made.
In addition, virtual shelves, which
are designed to overcome the issue
of limited space, are touch-sensitive
displays that demonstrate all the
items in a store’s inventory. Shoppers
can scroll through the displays to
locate items. Then, using an app
downloaded to their smartphone that
works by using image-recognition
technology, they can scan and order
the item. The order will be fulfilled
in store if the item is available or be
delivered to the shopper’s home at a
time convenient to them. Coupled with
mobile personalization services, virtual
shelves can be customized to feature
items form the shopper’s buying history
or accounting to their clothes size, for
example. And virtual shelves need not
only be located within stores. They
can, for instance, appear on station
platforms so commuters can do their
shopping while waiting for their train
home.
Moreover, shopping carts will
no longer be just baskets on wheels.
Equipped with tablet PCs or LCD
screens and control panels, “smart
carts” can scan products’ RFID tags as
they are added to or removed from the
basket. The cart can also synchronize
with a website or shopping list app on
the shopper’s smartphone and help the
customer to locate items in the store
- or even recommend the fastest route
around the store. It will also be able to
make recipe suggestions or suggest
products that complement items
already in the cart. More advanced carts
will incorporate technology to track
movements and follow the shopper
around the store.
And finally, when the shopper gets
to the exit, the store can total the prices
of the products using either the smart
cart’s running total or, provided every
item has an RFID tag, by accessing the
tags on each item in the cart directly
using sensors at the exit. If the store
has payment details for the customer,
linked to a smartphone, it can charge
them automatically. If not, and the
customer's smartphone has NFC
technology built-in, then the phone can
be sued to pay for purchases by swiping
it at a pay point.
Dr. Jassim Haji
Technology Executive &
Researcher
www.facebook.com/DrJassimHaji
bh.linkedin.com/in/dr-jassimhaji-7b5885125
November-December 2017
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