Aging in Place

Clever marketing play.   Is there enough in it?

Lowe’s wants to help customers age in place, with expert comments

Dec 23, 2021,  by Matthew Stern

Lowe’s recently formed a two-year partnership with AARP to provide strategies and information for older adults aging in their homes.

“For the past 18 months, the home has increased in importance for all of us and perhaps especially for our baby boomer customers, who are increasingly interested in aging in place in their own homes,” said Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison on the retailer’s third-quarter conference call.

AARP will provide the Lowe’s Livable Home initiative with educational content, including stories and videos, to help people make major and minor changes to living spaces that will make stairways more navigable, bathrooms and kitchens more user-friendly and support family caregivers seeking to make home updates.

Mr. Ellison said the partnership would offer solutions such as “walk-in bathtub, grab bars, stairlifts, nonslip floors, pull-down cabinets and wheelchair ramps.”

The partnership comes as pandemic-related cocooning in the U.S. inspired a huge number of households to tackle DIY home improvement projects.

AARP survey data also shows 70 percent of people 50 and older want to remain in their current homes as they age. In addition, households headed by people age 65 and older are expected to grow from 34 million to 48 million in the next 20 years, according to the Urban Institute.

“People are living longer and they want to live their best lives at every age,” said AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins, in a statement. “Ageless homes that work for older adults are good for people of all ages, but most houses weren’t built to support our needs long term.”  .....' 

Lowes Supporting AI Research

Lowes has always been doing interesting things in retail.    Now is supporting AI in                             education.

Lowe's Puts $1.5 Million Into AI Research at UNC Charlotte, By The Charlotte Observer (NC), April 15, 2021

Home improvement retailer Lowe's and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) jointly announced a $1.5-million gift to install an endowed faculty position at the college to lead artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning research.

The gift also will support student research in highly sought-after technology applications, expanding UNCC's pipeline for graduates going to work in various fields.

Lowe's Seemantini Godbole said the company already uses machine-learning-trained AI to help manage its workforce, while similar solutions underpin how Lowe's revises offerings and sales strategies for contractors or professionals.

UNCC's Fatma Mili said Lowe's gift allows students to work directly with the retailer as one of the school's partners to innovate and problem-solve with real-world applications.

Learners also research and gain insights into the social ramifications and ethical issues of rapidly maturing technology.

From The Charlotte Observer (NC)

Lowe's Goes Virtual for Pro Home Improvement

Most intrigued about how the knowledge is being stored, delivered,utilized.      There are different levels of expertise embedded in 'Pro', so will this context be included?   Ultimately essentially.

Lowe’s ‘virtually’ goes on the job for home improvement pros   by George Anderson in Retailwire

Lowe’s is introducing a new tool that will enable carpenters, electricians, plumbers and other construction professionals to meet with customers to discuss projects without having to go to their homes.

Lowe’s for Pros JobSIGHT makes use of video, computer vision and augmented reality tech to help pros evaluate projects so they can provide quotes to consumers on a wide variety of repair and home improvement projects. Pros using the tool chat directly with homeowners and are able to conduct tasks, such as determining product serial numbers and product details. They can use an on-screen laser pointer and augmented reality quick-draw tools to work through the consultation with homeowners. When the virtual meeting is complete, pros receive a one-page summary including video and audio, hi-res photos and notes for follow-up.

Lowe’s is making Pros JobSIGHT free to trade professionals through Oct. 31. Those who sign up for the program also save five percent on the chain’s everyday prices and are eligible for zero-interest purchases using their business accounts with Lowe’s. Extended payment terms are also available.  ... '

Use of AI in Retail

Useful to see how big retail is thinking this.

BBQ Guys and Lowe’s discuss best practices for implementing AI tech by Guest contributor   Bryan Wassel, Associate Editor, Retail TouchPoints

 ... Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from the Retail TouchPoints website. ... 

Fine-tuning data science solutions to optimize results has been, relatively speaking, the easy part. Preparing people throughout the retail organization to take advantage of the new insights is the more complicated task, IT executives indicated on a panel at the 2019 Retail Innovation Conference.

“Executives like to believe that 99 percent of your time is spent on building the algorithms involved — but actually that’s the smallest part,” said Doug Jennings, VP of data and analytics at Lowe’s.

Teams across the organization must be educated on how these solutions will affect their jobs and have reasonable expectations about how much things will change. “We have to show some sort of roadmap of where we want to go,” said Jason Stutes, director of analytics & design at BBQ Guys.

One key ingredient is making a dashboard that is able to go through insights piece by piece, enabling marketers to understand the popularity of items beyond just how many were sold. A carefully built machine learning tool helps Lowe’s pull apart historical sales at a very granular level to see just what shoppers are looking for in any given category. Taking into account activities at nearby competing retailers can be invaluable. ... " 

Lowes to Shut Down its Smart Home Ecosystem

Not unexpected given the competition. Continued development is likely to be very expensive.   Better work closely with other assistant makers.  Had seen their in store marketing and it was not competitive enough linking to other store services and goods.

Lowe’s is shutting down its Iris smart home platform at the end of March

The perils of investing in an unproven ecosystem developed by a home improvement chain By Nick Statt@nickstatt  in TheVerge     .... "

Lowes and Macy's Want to Help with the Smart Home

More retailers join into the outfitting of the smart home.

Lowe’s and Macy’s join rivals chasing smart home opportunity

by Tom Ryan   and Expert Comments in Retalwire

"Retailers have a finite period of time to convince customers that they are the destination for smart home devices."   -  Joan Treistman

Move over Best Buy and Amazon.com, Lowe’s and Macy’s want to also help consumers transform their homes with the Internet of Things (IoT).

Last week, Lowe’s announced it is opening 70 in-store shops dedicated to helping consumers discover and buy smart home devices.

The rollout follows the successful pilot of SmartSpot shops in three Lowe’s locations last fall operated by b8ta. The collaboration with the software retailer will continue. Described as “retail-as-a-service,” b8ta’s model relies on manufacturers paying a monthly subscription fee to be in the store.... " 

Automation and Selling Floor Jobs

In Retailwire:  Will automation like robotics replace selling floor jobs? An interesting question.  Despite experiments by companies like Lowes, am still not seeing much out there.  If a consumer goes to a store, they still prefer a knowledgeable associate to help them.  Whats the difference between robotics, an interactive sign, and knowledgeable human help?  In stores where actual on floor selling is important, this may be different.

Lowes and Innovation

Robotics, virtual reality and more.  Always interesting to follow.  Why are they doing this, and how does management integrate innovation  into business process?   How do they see value in their innovation labs?

Lowe’s innovates because it has to  by Al McClain  (And discussion) 

At last week’s Shoptalk conference, Kyle Nel, the executive director of Lowe’s Innovation Labs, detailed why innovation is so important for retailers, primarily because the current pace of change is exponential. And yet, survival on incremental technological change alone may be impossible.

Mr. Nel said that when a new and different technology comes out (speaking not just of Lowe’s), it inevitably disappoints, investment falls off, but then a core group continues to work on it. At that point, it’s hard to figure out exactly what to work on during the “deceptive disappointment” phase, before the new and different tech comes back to market in a better form and more successfully. .... " 

Google Tango Location is Testing at Lowes

Been a long time tester of retail location intelligence solutions.  Now news that Lowes is starting to test Google Tango location intelligence using augmented reality on phones.    Have also mentioned the interior space model building technology that Google is using a number of times here.   Again, impressed with Lowes broad use of new tech.  In CNet:

Google Tango means you'll never get lost in a store again ... Some Lowe's stores are testing out an augmented-reality app that shows the fastest way to get to your items. .... " 

See also Lowe's work on robotics and AR based DIY instruction at the tag below.

Lowes Using AR to Show How

Lowes is always doing interesting tech things. On the surface of it sounds like a good idea.  But does visual understanding and experience equal physical skill?   Also see their tests of robots in store.

Lowe's is using AR and VR to make how-to easier
Coming soon: 'Tile Installation Simulator 2017'.

by Timothy J. Seppala, @timseppala

How Will Robotics Alter Staffing Models in Retail?

Have been following how robotics will interact with in-store retail personnel.  Lowe's is an interesting example to follow.  How will this alter staffing models, customer engagement and satisfaction?   In Retailwire, with further expert discussion:

Will a new staffing model improve Lowe’s customer service?   by Matthew Stern
Lowe’s Home Improvement recently announced layoffs as a part of an effort to “overhaul its staffing model.” The cuts, which will constitute less than one percent of the total staff, come in the context of a reshuffling of responsibilities, which a source told the Charlotte Observer is meant to provide an increase in “face time with customers.” .... '  

 ... In late 2016, the one-store OSHBot pilot expanded into the release of a branded “LoweBot.” Slated to be rolled out in 11 Lowe’s locations in the San Francisco Bay area over seven months, the LoweBot can, like its predecessor, find products, answer simple customer questions and help manage inventory. 

The Lowe’s Innovation Labs website positions LoweBot as a way to free up staff so that the they can offer customers specialized knowledge and expertise. With that in mind, Lowe’s may be anticipating a future in which robots do the heavy lifting and real-live humans help customers with the higher-level tasks. It has not been announced if or when Lowe’s robotic helper will appear in stores beyond the San Francisco area.  ..... " 

Retail Brands Leveraging Foundational AI

Good overview, nothing very unexpected.  Starbucks, IBM, Amazon, Lowes and Cosabella are highlighted.  Following these for years.  More about what is being done, as opposed to what the possibilities are.   I like the statement that AI technologies are becoming foundational.   True, but the timing remains unclear.   In Adweek:

5 Bleeding-Edge Brands That Are Infusing Retail With Artificial Intelligence Starbucks, -  Lowe's and others roll out robots    By Lauren Johnson

The next time you're in a Lowe's hardware store don't be surprised if a robot zooms up to ask if anyone needs help. And when you order your morning joe, a programmed bot may be whipping up that venti skim macchiato at Starbucks.

Watch out, folks, the age of artificial-intelligence-powered retail is upon us, promising an unprecedented amount of data and information that can help merchants grow their businesses. Once the stuff of sci-fi novels, AI is poised to juice up everything from customer service to merchandising—except jobs for humans.

"AI is going to be like electricity or the internet—it's going to be foundational technology [for] which most things are built," says Kyle Nel, executive director of Lowe's Innovation Labs. "It becomes so interwoven into robotics and everything. It takes CRM, it takes all of this other stuff that we've been doing for so long and it makes it better than the sum of the parts."  ... " 

Hololens and Lowes

I was reminded today of Lowes and Hololens via Ignite   A natural use case in the design and evaluation realm.
Microsoft HoloLens and Lowe’s, working to redefine your next home renovation
By Scott Erickson / General Manager, Microsoft HoloLens

Hologram experience at Lowe's.

Lowe’s has a long history of helping people reinvent spaces, quite literally, from the ground up. And home improvement is an incredibly visual undertaking. It can be difficult to conceptualize a full-scale remodel using just sample squares and paint swatches. We were excited to partner with Lowe’s to help reinvent visualization and design in a whole new way, using holograms.

Using HoloLens, Lowe’s is providing customers in select pilot stores with a new way to experience home improvement. Lowe’s is using HoloLens to demonstrate a variety of design options for kitchen cabinetry, countertops, appliances and features like backsplashes, in a visually-rich and interactive way. Lowe’s customers will be able to experience a holographic representation of a completely new kitchen, adjust finishes and options instantly, and share their designs easily online.  ... "

Much more and visuals.

Robots in the Retail Aisle at Lowe's

Lowes has long been a great experimenter in technology space.  But what has lasted?   Naturally, since it needs expertise to be delivered in a very complex aisle.  Good piece further, about the retail presence of robotics.  In K@W: 

Robots in Aisle 10: Will Shoppers Like Them?

This fall, customers cruising the aisles of Lowe’s home improvement stores in the San Francisco Bay Area may see a new type of employee taking inventory and assisting shoppers. You won’t find a nametag on this worker, but you won’t confuse it with other employees, either. The new kid in town is the LoweBot, an autonomous retail service robot that scans and audits store inventory on the floor. It uses voice recognition to identify products for customers and lead them to the right shelf — in multiple languages.

The retailer is deploying LoweBots at 11 of its Bay Area stores over a seven-month period using NAVii robots made by Fellow Robots, following a successful two-year pilot program of a first-generation robot called OSHbot that was tested at one of Lowe’s Orchard Supply Hardware stores. .... " 

Lowes Innovation Labs.

Lowes Innovation Lab uses VR

Increasing use of VR in innovation.   The capabilities have yet to be mainstreamed.

 " ... Lowe’s Innovation Labs (LIL), the innovation hub of Lowe’s Companies Inc has announced its expanding its network into Bangalore, India by launching a startup accelerator program focused on developing technologies including augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), 3D scanning and printing, and robotics.

LIL-Bangalore will be creating an intensive 16-week accelerator program for the startups, after which they will have the opportunity to partner with LIL to deploy their technology in the US. ... " 

Lowes Innovation Labs

Formed in 2013.  Lowes Innovation Labs.  I like the strong innovation focus:

" ... Lowe's Innovation Labs brings together uncommon partners to identify and tackle problems consumers face every day. SciFutures, a technology, research and foresight agency that uses science fiction storytelling to solve today's problems, is one of the first LIL start-up collaborations. Together, Lowe's Innovation Labs and SciFutures built the Lowe's Holoroom. ... 

Lowe's Innovation Labs debuted its first concept - the Lowe's Holoroom - on June 11, 2014 at the Exponential Finance conference in New York City. The Holoroom is a home improvement simulator that helps customers break past the barriers of project visualization by creating customized, life size representations of room renovation and refresh projects.  ... "

Lowes Labs and Neuroscience Innovation

Unaware of this work, taking a closer look. Has been a while since hearing of information from Lowes Innovation Labs.

" ... One company that Lowe's Innovation Labs has partnered with is Neurons Inc., a neuromarketing firm that has reduced the cost and increased the speed of this process, alongside delivering actionable results. ... "It has been hugely, hugely successful for inside of Lowe's, and especially inside of Innovation Labs," said Nel.

Tapping into the insights offered by "applied neuroscience" feeds into another core goal of Lowe's Innovation Labs as outlined by Nel: namely, understanding what factors truly impact human behaviour. ... " 

Demotion in Loyalty Systems

Loyalty systems big flaw.  by Roger Dooley. Our brains in particular do not like demotion.  I remember my own particular example with Delta Airlines. After years of flying globally and reaching the highest platinum levels, I retired, minimized travel, and was kicked down to the lowest 'asphalt' level, it seemed.  Now I am as disloyal to Delta as possible.  Has that demotion process been included in their models of business?  Somehow I don't think so.  The article also talks about minimizing the damage.

Drones and Now Nano satellites: Phonesats

Lots of things are getting small and more mobile.   As presented in Computerworld.    What are the implications of smaller and widely ranging sensors? " ... NASA has launched three smartphones into space in what scientists hope will be the lowest-cost satellites ever tested. The smartphones, Google-HTC Nexus Ones running the Android operating system, launched aboard the maiden flight of Orbital Science Corp.'s Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia on Sunday. The smartphones are encased in 4-inch metal cubes and are hooked up to external lithium-ion battery banks and more powerful radios for sending messages from space. The goal of this mission is to see just how capable these tiny satellites, dubbed PhoneSats, are and whether they can one day serve as the brains of inexpensive, but powerful, satellites. ... "

Staples Prints 3D

In CIO:  Word that the office services store will start to print 3D items.  A method promoting remote manufacture.  This development could lead to the increasing use of the idea for select products.   " ... Customers are expected to create 3D customized parts, prototypes, art objects, architectural models, medical models, tools, machine components, robot parts, or 3D maps, among other purposes....  The Staples 3D models will use the Mcor Technologies IRIS printer, which Staples and Mcor said had the highest color capability of any 3D printer in the industry and the lowest operating cost of any commercial class 3D printer. Mcor also said its 3D printers are the only ones to use ordinary business letter paper as the layering build material.... "