The growing eminence of automated stores is setting the bar high for efficient and cost-effective retail, and relegating staff to scanning products and processing payment is an inefficient use of valuable resources. But does automation benefit all parties.
LONDON, Nov. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cloudpick, the leading provider of AI-based smart store solutions to the worldwide retail industry, in partnership with the leading French multinational retailer Auchan, on October 8th announced the official launch of Auchan's first autonomous convenience store in Lille, France.
With more than 200 autonomous stores using Cloudpick's autonomous store technology worldwide, in September, the company also opened a Catch & Go convenience store in the NTT DATA office in Tokyo, Japan, serving with the speed and convenience for high-performing professionals who are now getting used to not facing queues of customers paying for their purchases.
The growing list of stores that use and benefit from Cloudpick's technology reflects how its technology has helped retailers better understand their customers. Auchan Go in France and Catch & Go in Japan, joins Ahold Delhaize's Lunchbox in Boston, the US, in a growing number of worldwide retailers to realize this vision of the future of retail with a 99.5% accuracy rate.
Tangible benefits to retailers are even more evident in the improvement of stock control and customer management.
Automatic customer shopping habits data provides the manager with a detailed real-time report of the turnover of individual products to understand physical shopping habits in the store and to fine-tune placement and product selection accordingly.
Auchan and Cloudpick places a high premium on sensitive identity information, and have worked in close collaboration with CNIL in France to ensure compliance with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) requirements. Computer vision doesn't collect images or biometrics but only analyses movement through the store and records the items collected to link the customer to their account.
However, this knowledge alone proves invaluable as the retailer knows its customer better and can efficiently and economically help him make informed choices without costly marketing campaigns. The app can even send personalized coupons for discounts and combo sales based on their shopping habits, encouraging customer loyalty.
In the past, new implementations of intelligent technology have been criticized for replacing a human workforce. But a more convincing argument can be made that modern technology elevates human endeavour, and that personnel can be better employed in more valuable capacities.
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