AI and Restaurants

Instructive insights about an industry that is now under considerable pressure.

  ... AI Issues and Advances in the Restaurant and QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) Industry
Via Northwestern and Platt Institute

The Retail Analytics Council (RAC) recently hosted a roundtable discussion regarding AI in the restaurant and quick service restaurant industry. 

Five panelists were asked to respond to a series of questions. Generally, the questions probed the participants’ thoughts on the challenges and successes with AI implementation in the restaurant and QSR space.

Read the Roundtable:   
"AI Issues and Advances in the Restaurant and QSR Industry"  (20 pages) 
Panelists include:
Zipporah Allen, Vice President, Digital Experiences, Taco Bell
Nitin Chaturvedi, Chief Digital Transformation Officer, KFC Global
Sherif Mityas, Former Chief Experience Officer, TGI FRIDAYS
Mark Patton, Chief Technology Officer, Studio Movie Grill
Grant Riewe, Senior Digital Expert and Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company

Read: AI Issues and Advances in the Restaurant and QSR Industry

The Retail Analytics Council (RAC) is the leading organization focused on the study of consumer shopping behavior across retail platforms and the impact of technology. Established in August 2014, RAC is an initiative between Medill’s Integrated Marketing Communications department, Northwestern University, and the Platt Retail Institute.
Platt Retail Institute Offices... 

Robot Adoption in a New Retail World

Was pointed out to me this was posted and updated:

Robot Adoption Trends in a New Retail World

The Retail Analytics Council (RAC) recently hosted a roundtable discussion regarding the state of robot adoption trends in this new retail world. 

Eight panelists were asked to respond to a series of questions. Generally, the questions probed the participants’ thoughts on the opportunities and challenges of robot adoption.

Read the roundtable transcript: Robot Adoption Trends in a New Retail World.

Panelists included:

Christopher Blum, Mechanical Engineer, Kroger Technology
Chris Daniels, Technology Engineer, Kroger Technology
Dr. Don High, Former Chief Scientist, Walmart
Gerry Hough, Senior Expert, Store Innovation, McKinsey & Company
Dr. Todd Murphey, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering and of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Wesley Rhodes, VP, R&D and Technology Transformation, Kroger
Dr. Adam Rigby, Senior R&D Scientist, Kroger Technology
Dan Whitacre, Senior Director, R&D and Technology Transformation, Kroger
Steven Keith Platt, Research Director, RAC and Adjunct Professor, Northwestern University and moderator of this roundtable discussion ... "

Platt Retail Institute on Robot Adoption in Retail

Some new thoughts about robotics being used a changed context.

Via Platt Retail Institute by Northwestern 

There has been growing interest in robotic automation in retail and supply chain for some time. COVID-19 will accelerate adoption. The Retail Analytics Council recently hosted a roundtable discussion regarding the state of robot adoption trends in this new retail world.   Eight panelists were asked to respond to a series of questions. Generally, the questions probed the participants’ thoughts on the opportunities and challenges of robot adoption.

Read the roundtable transcript: Robot Adoption Trends in a New Retail World.  

Panelists include:

Christopher Blum, Mechanical Engineer, Kroger Technology
Chris Daniels, Technology Engineer, Kroger Technology
Dr. Don High, Former Chief Scientist, Walmart
Gerry Hough, Senior Expert, Store Innovation, McKinsey & Company
Dr. Todd Murphey, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering and of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Wesley Rhodes, VP, R&D and Technology Transformation, Kroger
Dr. Adam Rigby, Senior R&D Scientist, Kroger Technology
Dan Whitacre, Senior Director, R & D and Technology Transformation, Kroger
Steven Keith Platt, Research Director, Research Director, RAC and Adjunct Professor, Northwestern University and moderator of this roundtable discussion ... '

Standards for Robotics in Retail

An interesting document on standards for robotics in retail:

via .... Platt Retail Institute (PRI) is an international consulting and research firm that focuses on leveraging technology to impact the consumer experience and store operations. Central to this is building actionable data models that aid retailers and technology companies in gaininginsights into their customersand operations. In addition to its global consulting expertise, PRI also publishes pioneering industry research  ... 

Standards Support Robots in Retail
By Richard Halter, President, Global Retail Technology Advisors, LLC .... '

Retail robotics: Platt Retail Tech Bulletin

Several articles on Retail Robotics at the link:

The quarterly Retail Tech Bulletin, published by Platt Retail Institute and the Retail Analytics Council, includes news and case studies regarding retail robotics, artificial intelligence, and related retail technologies. The Bulletin also includes updates on Retail Analytics Council activities, the Retail Robotics Initiative, and the Retail AI Lab at Northwestern University. 

Robot Supply Will Not Keep Pace With Robot Demand “It is the best of times, it is the worst of times” for robotics and retail, to paraphrase Charles Dickens. Right now, robotics is becoming the buzzword in many industries. Only a few years ago, retailers had the pick of the crop of emerging robotics companies. Very few in the retail industry were ready to seize the advantage. We are all familiar with some of those case studies, via early adopters Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, Target, and Lowes, who have all showcased trial deployments of various robots in retail. .... "  

Presentations from Retail Robotics and AI Conference

Impressive to see what is being done in this space:

RAC Retail Robotics & AI Conference Presentations

HINSDALE, Ill. – The second annual Retail Analytics Council Retail Robotics & AI Conference brought together more than 125 senior-level retailers, academics, and industry leaders for a unique educational event addressing current and future robot and AI trends. 

Topics addressed included: U.S.-China Retailers, Consumer Trends, and AI; Observations on the State of Retail Technology and AI; How to Implement a Retail Analytics Function; Advanced Analytics in Customer-Centric Strategies; AI Use Cases; How Bayesian Network Learning is Applied in Marketing; Data Privacy; Current Retail Robot Applications and Benefits; Robots in Retail Competition; Robust Perception for Robotics Systems; Intelligent Automation; and Future Retail Robot Applications. .... 

Speakers included:

Magali Bervillé, Senior Director of Digital Marketing, Moroccanoil
John Black, Senior Vice President, New Product Development, Brain Corporation
Dr. Martin Block, RAC Executive Director and Professor, Medill/IMC, Northwestern University
Jeff Burnstein, President, The Association for Advancing Automation
Cari Covent, VP, Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Automation, Canadian Tire Corporation
Justine Gottshall, Partner, InfoLawGroup LLP ....  (many more) 

Many of these speakers have made their conference presentations available to view. Visit the Platt Retail Institute website for more information.  Many presentations here.

Computer Vision in Retail

From the Platt Retail Institute, thoughts on further use of computer vision:

Computer Vision Is Here. Now What?
By George Shaw, CEO/CTO, Brain of the Store

By now, you have probably heard about computer vision and recent advances in the field. Compared to even just 10 years ago when computer vision was in its infancy, deep learning software and algorithms now make it possible to accurately recognize objects, faces, and even emotions from common video streams. Additionally, the computer hardware that performs these computer vision operations is advancing at an unusually fast pace. Where do these developments lead? And what happens then? More importantly, what does this all mean for brick and mortar retail?...."

Retail Robotics Initiative

Via The Platt Research Institute:

Retail AI Lab and Retail Robotics Initiative Announced by Retail Analytics Council

The Retail Analytics Council is pleased to announce the Retail AI Lab on Northwestern University's Evanston, Ill., campus and the launch of the Retail Robotics Initiative to focus on robotic and data applications in retail.

The Retail Analytics Council, an initiative between the Platt Retail Institute and Northwestern University, was established four years ago. "Since that time, we have made significant progress," said Steven Keith Platt, the Council's Research Director. "Major milestones include four major educational events (including the first-ever Retail Robotics and AI Conference), building an outstanding board of advisors, publishing cutting-edge research, and presenting and publishing student research."

Retail AI Lab

To continue to build on this progress, the Retail Analytics Council is launching the Retail AI Lab at Northwestern University. The primary objectives are to undertake additional research projects by broadening faculty involvement, and engaging students on research projects, with the goal of raising awareness of careers in retail AI and analytics.

"There is tremendous retail industry demand for students skilled in AI and analytics," said Professor Martin Block, Executive Director of the Council. "The RAC, with access to many retailers, can secure training data sets that will aid students in further developing their skills, as well as equipping them with subject matter expertise to enhance their employment prospects with retailers."

Retail Robotics Initiative

The Retail Robotics Initiative seeks to unite industry, academia, and investors around the common objective of advancing robotic and data applications in retail environments. Some key activities include:

Publish articles to raise industry awareness. 
Work with existing and emerging robotics companies to aid them in expanding their business by introducing them to retailers and helping them to secure pilots. 
Assist retailers in understanding the benefits associated with introducing robots into their stores and for process automation.
Publish research. Currently, we are interested in a test of a robotic RFID project.
Sponsor a competition for both existing and emerging robotics companies to present their technology at the annual RAC Retail Robotics and AI Conference. .... "

Coresight and Retail Robotics and AI Conference

Via Pratt Retail Institute

KEY POINTS
The Coresight Research team recently attended the Retail Robotics & AI Conference on April 26 in San Francisco. Here are our top takeaways from the event:

As consumers increasingly rely on technology when they shop, the retail industry is nearing a state of “retail singularity” in which bots, natural language voice interfaces and broadly integrated data react to and predict the what, when and why of shopper preferences and behavior.

Store-based retailers need to integrate the best of the online and offline shopping experiences in order to create synergies that help unlock new potential, said Jeff Donaldson, CEO of Intriosity and former SVP of GameStop.

Consumers are increasingly opting to engage in experiences that create the illusion of participating versus spectating. The rise of Amazon has coincided with this cultural shift.

Coresight Research CEO and Founder Deborah Weinswig commented that China is a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in the New Retail environment, where the integration of online and offline retail, logistics and data across a single value chain is essential. AI and automation are the keys to making everything work, she noted.

Mark Mathews, of the National Retail Federation (NRF), said that the retail technologies that are resonating most with consumers are those that enable them to buy online and pick up in-store, navigate in-store and pay by mobile device.

The Coresight Research team attended the inaugural Retail Robotics & AI Conference in San Francisco on April 26. The conference was hosted by the Retail Analytics Council (RAC), an initiative between Northwestern University and the Platt Retail Institute that focuses on studying consumer shopping behavior across retail platforms and the impact of technology on retail.

At the event, discussion topics included emerging retail robotics applications, building a 360-degree view of the consumer, the use of AI in retail, advanced analytics and industry trends. Attendees ranged from C-level executives to academics to retail and technology industry leaders. .... " 

Platt Research Institute: Journal of Retail Analytics

Have begun to follow, details for sign-in and article download at the link:

Journal of Retail Analytics

PRI’s Journal of Retail Analytics is a comprehensive quarterly publication that includes news and case studies regarding retail analytics, digital customer-facing technologies, and related topics. The Journal provides a snapshot of the economy as it impacts retailers and consumers. In addition, the Journal examines trends in the use of retail analytics and details developments in the digital communications industry. Authors include industry thought leaders and leading academics, among others.

PRI’s offices, projects, and extensive contacts in North America and Europe enable the firm to report on cutting-edge global events. Furthermore, the Journal features distinguished guest columnists, thought-provoking case studies, network profiles, and more.

If you are interested in submitting an article for publication in the Journal, please review the current Submission Guidelines.

The most recent edition of the Journal of Retail Analytics is available for free download below. Articles in the 2Q 2017 issue include:

Audio Management and Delivery Strategies for Retail Environments by Reto Brader, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Barix

Building a Relationship That Online Shopping Can’t Replace by Richard Ventura, Vice President of Product Marketing and Solutions, NEC Display Solutions

Comparison of Traditional Predictive Analytics Tools Versus Artificial Intelligence-Based Solutions by Gary Saarenvirta, CEO, Daisy Intelligence

How Online Reviews Influence Sales by Spiegel Research Center, Northwestern University
Strategic Data Management in Retail Labeling Systems by Elizabeth Sinclair, Vertical Marketing Manager, Seagull Scientific

The Apple Store versus the Microsoft Store: Using Retail Analytics to Measure Customer Behavior Case Study — Part I by D. Anthony Miles, Founder and CEO, Miles Development Industries Corporation

The Role of Emerging Technologies in Retail: A Retail Roundtable   ... "