Infosys to help retailers watch in-store activity
Infosys Technologies has launched a new technology platform called 'ShoppingTrip360', incorporating a number of auto-ID technologies to help retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies gain better visibility into in-store shopper and inventory activity.
The ShoppingTrip360 platform comprises a suite of managed information services that provide a complete real-time view of in-store shopper and shelf interactions using a network of wireless sensors throughout the store.
Adding value The system operates throughout a retail store to allow people (i.e. shoppers), places (i.e. retail outlets) and products (i.e. those being monitored by CPG companies) to provide new insights that can be used to provide greater value to shoppers, retailers and CPG companies alike.
"Companies around the world continue to recognise the need to transform themselves in order to be more competitive," explained S. Gopalakrishnan, CEO for Infosys Technologies.
Changing shopping experiences By gaining new real-time, behaviour-based insights into shopper and shelf activity throughout the store, the system aims to change the customer's in-store shopping experience. According to Infosys, the system will:
- Allow retailers to monitor the total number of shoppers and their shopping trip paths, allowing them to gauge in-store energy demand based on occupancy, or open new checkout counters when lines start forming.
- Allow retailers to monitor shelf-level inventory of fast moving products.
- Allow CPG companies to make choices about the best locations in each store to place their promotional products.
- Provide CPG companies with greater visibility on the efficiency of their promotional spending, through an analysis of shoppers who interact with promotional displays, or through monitoring shopper traffic to a particular area as well as subsequent purchases.
- Allow shoppers to use a concierge service through their mobile phone handsets to organise their shopping trip. While at the store, they can access their shopping list, locate products, retrieve recipes, and download coupons, with personalised promotional offers that can be redeemed electronically.
Infrastructure protection The patent-pending technology behind the system has been designed to operate with existing store and IT infrastructure, and Infosys promises to fully invest in the platform infrastructure, protecting users from the risks of capital investment and technology obsolescence.
Users of the system can subscribe to ShoppingTrip360 services, and then pay for the information that provides the resulting business benefits. Infosys has also developed a 'roadmap' for the platform to enable future applications based on real-time collaboration between shoppers, retailers and CPG brands. With selected clients in pilot programmes already, the company reports that it has established a business model that helps to reduce the total cost per application.
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