Netflix is Shelf Selling with AI

 When I first saw the long rows of 'content' on a Netflix selection shelf.   I immediately thought of a supermarket shelf,  which I had much experience with.   This was not alphabetic or random.  And certainly not stationary.  Each time I went back things had changed.    But how?  They were selling to me with a purpose.  Ratings?   Increasing viewers.  With AI.   Part of the idea below; 

Netflix explains how it uses AI to sell you on a show

Machines may have a better sense of what will draw you in.  In Engadget By Jon Fingas, @jonfingas

If Netflix’s decisions on marketing its hundreds of original shows seem highly calculated... that’s probably because they were. Netflix has outlined how it uses AI to market shows and predict their success in ways that conventional box office numbers and Nielsen ratings likely couldn’t match. Effectively, it comes down to finding connections and determining the likely audience sizes.

The method relies on transfer learning, where the the parameters learned from a “source task” improve the performance of a “target task.” In this case, the source tasks are simple: what titles are comparable to a Netflix original, and what kind of viewership can the service expect?

For thematic comparisons, Netflix creates a “similarity map” where AI uses a show’s metadata, tags and summaries (“embeddings” in Netflix’s world) help determine links to other titles. Marketers would know which shows and movies to help describe a coming-of-age comedy, for example.

With audience sizes, the service has an AI model that compares the audience sizes of similar work in a given country. If a drama is likely to fare well in Spain, Netflix might not only ramp up marketing in the region but prepare dubs and subtitles earlier.

The systems are self-supervised, letting them access a much wider range of titles than they would if they were limited to Netflix’s own info.   ... "

New Dash Replenishment Shelf

 Alas the Amazon DASH replenishment Button, which we tested for a few years in stores and at homes  is gone. We were much into 'ease-of' and automatic replenishment tech in innovation centers and Smart home designs.   Well now DASH is back, but aimed at the small office with an automated weight driven  shelf.   Will this work, and for who? Below a sort description and discussion.   It turns out this shelf is not a new Dash idea, we were offered to test it back then,  but elected the consumer order button design.   Can we help you test?

Will Amazon’s Dash Smart Shelf drive auto-replenishment from SMBs and consumers?  by Tom Ryan in Retailwire

Amazon.com, after retiring the Dash Button last year, has introduced a replacement, Dash Smart Shelf, that promises to shake up the office supplies space and bring auto-replenishment to households.

Costing $19.99 each, Dash Smart Shelf is a weight-sensing, Wi-Fi-enabled auto-replenishment scale. When placed on a flat surface, such as a warehouse rack, it can track inventory for commonly used products. When it senses supplies are running low, a replenishment order or notification is automatically sent.

The system offers three scale sizes; each scale can only be paired with one product at a time. Amazon says that “thousands of popular products” including most household and workplace staples can be replenished under the program.   .... '

On the Smart Supermarket Shelf

A space we did lots of work on with startups and big players.    Our innovation center tested them all.

Smart Supermarket Shelves: A Shopping Transformation

Yuval Boger / 13 Jul 2020 / Connected Devices / IoT  in Readwrite
digital supermarket shopping
 
It seems that everywhere we turn, the world is being digitally transformed, and your local supermarket could be next. We’re all used to the “non-digital” supermarket shelves — but digital supermarket shelves are likely to be the way of the future. That’s because they can deliver benefits to both consumers and supermarket retailers, so it’s a win/win situation. Here is: smart supermarket shelves — a shopping transformation.

How smart supermarket shelves could benefit consumers
The major potential benefits for consumers center on the capability of powered supermarket shelves to interact with smartphones. This can create a personalized shopping experience for consumers.

Consider these two potential applications of smart supermarket shelf technology:

1) A digital sign that could display a relevant promotion to a shopper as they walked past. This promotion could be triggered by the types of groceries that the customer has bought in the supermarket in the past and by the supermarket shelf sensor interacting with the customer’s smartphone to detect when they were approaching the shelf.

Consumer demographic data (like age, gender and cultural background) could also be used to trigger personalized supermarket shelf display information.

2) A smartphone shopping list feature where information on where customers can find grocery items that are on their list could be digitally and automatically provided to them by powered, smart supermarket shelving. ..."

Digital Shelf Tags Influential

A method we studied for years in our innovation centers.

Test Shoppers Find Kroger's New Digital Shelves 'Influential' on Purchase Decisions By Randy Hofbauer - 02/01/2019 In Progressivegrocer

Test Shoppers Find Kroger's New Digital Shelves are "Influential" on Purchase Decisions
Kroger's new digital shelves at a QFC store in Redmond, Wash. (photo courtesy of Field Agent)
A test using eight secret shoppers at Kroger's QFC test store in Redmond, Wash., for the grocer's new EDGE digital shelf technology found the majority of patrons involved favoring the innovation over traditional shelf tags, Fayetteville, Ark.-based market researcher Field Agent has reported.

Part of the grocery giant's new Retail as a Service (RaaS) platform developed in partnership with Redmond-based technology company Microsoft, the new shelves were preferred by seven out of eight mystery shoppers, whereas the remaining one would rather see traditional tags on shelves. ... "

Wal-Mart Testing Digital Shelf Tags

An idea that has been around for a long time, we tested it extensively.  Costs versus value often interfered.  Now both Kroger and Wal-Mart appear serious with broader tests. 

Walmart testing digital shelf tags at 2 locations  in Progressive Grocer

Walmart is testing two types of digital shelf tags in the baked goods section at two stores in Rogers, Ark. Test shoppers sent by market research firm Field Agent preferred the labels to standard ones, but were split in their opinions between the long, full-color LED strips and the smaller digital tags. ... " 

Kroger Edge Digital Shelves Found Influential

More on recent Kroger work in Digital Shelves, in Progressive Grocer.  Still on my list to visit these stores.

Test Shoppers Find Kroger's New Digital Shelves 'Influential' on Purchase Decisions

"... A test using eight secret shoppers at Kroger's QFC test store in Redmond, Wash., for the grocer's new EDGE digital shelf technology found the majority of patrons involved favoring the innovation over traditional shelf tags, Fayetteville, Ark.-based market researcher Field Agent has reported.

Part of the grocery giant's new Retail as a Service (RaaS) platform developed in partnership with Redmond-based technology company Microsoft, the new shelves were preferred by seven out of eight mystery shoppers, whereas the remaining one would rather see traditional tags on shelves.

When asked how influential they thought brand messaging on the digital shelves would be over their purchase decisions, half of them said "very" or "extremely" influential, while three said "somewhat influential." Only one said "not very influential."

When asked to share their thoughts on the digital shelves, shoppers commented on the shelves' ability to "jump out" at them, ease of reading and updating, and cleaner look. "Eye-catching," "smart," "efficient," "appealing" and "eco-friendly were just some of the words used to describe the grocery technology.

Kroger first revealed its RaaS system earlier this month, testing it at both the Redmond store and a Kroger store near Cincinnati. The solution is available for other retailers to adopt, and was on display at Microsoft's booth during Retail's Big Show 2019  ... " 

Kroger, Microsoft Create Futuristic Stores

Making Shelves, store and consumer fulfillment smarter.

Kroger, Microsoft Create Futuristic Grocery Store. Amazon, Take Note

The supermarket chain and technology giant are using the cloud to make it faster to navigate the grocery aisles and pick up online orders.

By Matthew Boyle  and Dina Bass in Bloomberg

Kroger Co. and Microsoft Corp. are joining forces to bring the ease of online shopping to brick-and-mortar grocery stores. 

Kroger, America’s biggest supermarket chain, has remodeled two stores to test out the new features, which include “digital shelves” that can show ads and change prices on the fly along with a network of sensors that keep track of products and help speed shoppers through the aisles. Kroger could eventually roll out the cloud-based system it developed with Microsoft in all of its 2,780 supermarkets.

The alliance is the latest example of how big U.S. retailers are deploying data-rich technology to improve the often-tedious ritual of food shopping and keep pace with Amazon.com Inc., which is bent on grabbing a bigger share of the $860 billion U.S. food retail market. For Microsoft the deal helps grow its cloud business, which lags behind Amazon’s but has found willing customers like Kroger and Walmart Inc., which are loath to line the pockets of Jeff Bezos. Kroger also hopes to sell the technology to other retailers, potentially opening up a new revenue stream with fatter profit margins than selling groceries.   ... " 

Microsoft and Kroger Edge

Saw early versions of this in Microsoft innovation spaces.  Look forward to seeing it in place.

Kroger’s smart shelves ditch the paper, drop the lights and delight the shoppers

In Microsoft Transform  By Bill Briggs
The future beckons in Aisle 3.

Your eyes scan side to side to absorb product-packed shelves ablaze with digital prices, deals of the hour and imagery of foods that soon may star on your dinner table. You’re thinking Italian.

You look closer. Nutritional and allergy data stream from the IoT-enabled display. Sundried tomatoes announce they are gluten free. Pasta sauce reveals: “I’m local!” Bluetooth in the shelf interacts with the shopping list in your smartphone, lighting up a shelf beneath the very next item you came to fetch: fettuccine.

That’s what you see in Kroger EDGE, a new, cloud-based signage solution for retail shelves. But what’s not here is equally enticing: no printed price tags, no cardboard promos and none of the bright lighting normally needed to blast extra photons onto all of that paper.

“It’s cleaner and environmentally efficient – and our customers perceive that and like it,” says Brett Bonner, vice president of research and development. “This is green power.”

EDGE – which stands for Enhanced Display for Grocery Environment – relies on Microsoft Azure to store and process volumes of data generated by customer actions on and around the shelves.



Connected by IoT sensors, EDGE beams real-time info from every aisle and endcap at 16 test stores located near the company’s Cincinnati, Ohio headquarters. This year, the Kroger Co. – America’s largest supermarket chain – will introduce EDGE at 120 total stores.

Quietly, though, the new solution also shines an environmentally gentle light on Kroger’s larger commitment to earth friendliness, Bonner says.

EDGE is designed, for example, to use a low-voltage, direct current that meets standards set by the EMerge Alliance, an industry association that’s leading adoption of safe, efficient power in commercial buildings.

As EDGE matures, it will run on renewable energy sources, Bonner says. Currently, the system uses an LED light source that saps far less power than incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs.

“The main reason for having big lights in stores is because you’ve got to light it up to read paper tags,” Bonner says. “With this, you can also turn down your lights.”  .... " 

(More and Images at link)

Kroger Tech Supply Venture

Kroger Venture will offer Store's tech to other Grocers

Kroger has established Sunrise Technologies, an offshoot designed to share the supermarket's technology with other retailers, company executive Annette Franke shared at this week's Shoptalk conference in Las Vegas. Among the innovations it will make available are a remote temperature-sensing system, an employee management system and an interactive shelf edge system .... " 

Wal-Mart and Bossa Nova Robotics

Much more on Wal-Mart's testing of robotics for in store tasks in 50 stores, such as scanning, auditing and stocking decision support.   The shelf can become smart through external scanning.  Also mention of a company Bossa Nova Robotics, which is being tested.  Quite more at the Bossa Nova site, including video of their systems in operation.   No indication of interactions with shoppers.   Very much retail oriented, they write: 

" ... Safe & friendly

A store is a busy place, so we know how important it is that our robot has a sense of its surroundings. That’s why it can detect objects in an aisle, like boxes, your cart, even you! It will wait for you to pass and then keep scanning the shelves when all is clear.

Here to help

Our robot takes care of the tedious shelf-auditing tasks, allowing employees to focus on more important things like… you! It also provides vital information about different departments, making your store run smoother and more efficiently. Associates say they can’t imagine life without it.

Shelf focused

The action is on the shelves side! To make sure you always find your favorite chips, our robot scans the shelves diligently and reports what is missing.  Its sole job is finding empty spaces on shelves and keeping those chips available for you.  .... 

They make in an interesting suggestion:

 ... Nice to meet you


Look out for your new neighborhood robot on your next visit to your local store. Feel free to snap a selfie and post it on Instagram. Don’t forget to copy us   @BNRobotics  .... " 

Video Example:   https://video.twimg.com/tweet_video/DNJjrCbUEAE2aPb.mp4

See the comparison to solutions like: Storeflix.  Simpler, but less automated.

Wal-Mart Robotics and Labor

 Since Wal-Mart is the largest private employer this is of considerable interest.   How will this use of robotics ultimately influence retail and other industries? Volume of labor versus quality?    Ultimately labor is a big cost that is continually examined.   Digital Trends takes a look:

Walmart expands fleet of robots to new stores, but promises it won’t cut jobs  By Eric Brackett  in Digital Trends. 

Decades after they revolutionized the manufacturing industry, robots are now making their way to the service industry. PCMag has reported that Walmart is planning on using robots to automate certain mundane tasks.

The world’s largest retailer said it hopes to use automation to “handle tasks that are repeatable, predictable and manual, like scanning shelves for out-of-stock items, incorrect prices, and wrong or missing labels.” The robots have already been deployed in multiple stores in Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and California. Now, the company is preparing to expand the project to 50 additional stores.

The company says that this technology will free up the retailer’s employees to “focus on what they tell us are the most important and exciting parts of working at Walmart — serving customers and selling merchandise.”  .... " 

Wal-Mart Testing Shelf Scanning Robots

 Now have seen several applications of store roving and shelf scanning robotics.   The need to get yet better data about the state of retail continues to expand.   Only way you can completely optimize your layout.  Make sure your  most profitable goods are  on shelf.  It will provide better data for more powerful analytics.   See my many posts on the concept.

Walmart is testing out shelf-scanning robots in 50 stores In  Fastcompany, via Engadget

Autonomous robots are taking over Walmart. Well, they are at least taking over more than a few locations. The behemoth retail chain is testing out shelf-scanning robots in more than 50 stores. The devices make sure items are in stock and priced correctly, according to Engadget.

This is all part of the company’s plan to innovate in the coming years. At our Fast Company Innovation Festival this week, Walmart e-commerce division CEO Marc Lore talked about the company’s forays into robotic technology. Beyond these shelf stockers, the company is also researching voice technology to make it easier for consumers to chat with a robot and purchase the things they need. “It will allow them to shop in a very conversational way with a robot … and that robot will know you as well as your mom or dad,” he said.  .... " 

And more with considerable discussion in Retailwire.  With Video.
And in Reuters.

A Conversation on Smart Shelves

This work by Hitachi covers many of the experiments we did with the smartshelf.  Is it smart enough to make a real difference?  Finding new patterns of use may find better ways to use this data.

Will Smart shelves ever be smart enough for Kroger and other retailers?
by Tom Ryan

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Kroger CIO Chris Hjelm said the supermarket’s test of smart shelves has reached 14 locations.

With Kroger’s mobile app open, sensors detect shoppers in aisles to offer personal pricing and product suggestions. “I can highlight products for you on a high-definition display on the shelf edge,” said Mr. Hjelm.

As examples, he noted how a gluten-free shopper might find relevant products highlighted in the nutrition-bar section. Shoppers might receive their “personal price” or hear a ping to alert them that a bottle of wine from their shopping list is on a nearby shelf, he said.

Smart shelf proponents also tout their ability to facilitate automated pricing changes as a huge labor-saving advance. They also promise on-demand nutritional information updates.

Some smart shelves can measure inventory life or identify when shelves are running low on product or empty. Using a solution from Powershelf powered by Microsoft Azure, Giant Eagle has reduced its out-of-stock replenishment time by two-thirds and cut its out-of-stock SKUs by 50 percent on any given day, according to Microsoft. .... " 

Kroger Tests Smart Shelves

We experimented with a number of related methods, combining, visual, sensory, sensing,  locating, effecting capabilities, linked to many kinds of data and analytics.  An Internet of Grocery things.  Will this make the physical shelf and aisle like the Internet?  Is that enough to bring the two venues together?    Here just a few technology examples, video at the link.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer:
Bringing the ‘info-richness of the Internet to ... in-store shopping’

Imagine a trip to Kroger where your grocery list tells you where the nearest item is – and sends you an alert if you accidentally pass it by on the shelf. ... Next, you need a small item like a spice and, just as you approach the crowded rack, the shelf lights up right under the whole (not ground) coriander you’re seeking.

Finally, you need gluten-free pasta and just as you approach the shelf with all the pastas, it highlights all the choices that meet your dietary needs. ... What you’ve just imagined is not that far off. Kroger is deep into experimenting with “smart shelf” technology at a store in Cold Spring. Company officials are ramping up the project and plan to test several additional applications.

“It’s not a question of ‘if;’ it’s a question of ‘when,’ ” said Christopher Hjelm, Kroger’s chief information officer.  ... "

RFID, P&G, Lipsticks and the Internet of Things

In the Cisco Blogs, a look at how the Internet of things emerging in a project at Procter & Gamble that tracked lipsticks, and how that has evolved.  Most notable, the considerable to the RAIN RFID Alliance.  by Steve Halliday:

" ... In “How to Fly a Horse” by Kevin Ashton (http://www.amazon.com/How-Fly-Horse-Invention-Discovery/dp/0385538596 ) we learn that Kevin coined the phrase “Internet of Things” (IoT) in 1999 when he was trying to present a solution to the problem of tracking the sales of lipsticks.  Kevin worked at Procter & Gamble and the misplacement of lipsticks in the display case was causing a sales issue when the required color was in stock, on the display, but in the wrong place and not easily found.  Kevin put an RFID tag in the lipstick and an antenna under each location, monitored the display unit, uploaded the information to the internet and used it to make decisions about the actual sales stock position.

Since then the term has been broadened to include almost anything that is in some way connected to the Internet and is providing information that can be used. The term has almost become a part of everyday use, though it seems the understanding of the term has morphed.  In 2013 the Oxford English Dictionary included a definition for the IoT – “The interconnection via the Internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data” (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/Internet-of-things ). While this definition is fine, it does not capture the real essence of the concept. ... " 

Shelf Edge Displays

Experimented with the behavior influence of shelf displays. They can provide information and engage.  Here is a new example:

" .. Display Solution, based in Gilching, Bavaria, Germany, is a leading developer and marketer of customized LCD solutions for existing and future markets, combining leading-edge screen and electronic technologies. Products range from single components to complete system solutions built around TFT displays for commercial and industrial use with application in such areas as digital signage, point-of-sale, point-of-information, automation, measurement engineering, medical instruments, and other mobile and embedded applications. ... " 

Kroger Smart Shelf

In Smartbrief: An idea that combines electronic shelf labels and small shelf edge displays.  Saw this demonstrated by NCR some years ago.

Kroger tests smart shelf technology
Kroger has launched a test of smart shelf technology at a northern Kentucky store that includes touchscreen labels that offer product information. The technology allows store workers to change prices immediately, and eliminating stickers would make more efficient use of employees' time while also providing an "engaging experience for our customers," Kroger spokesman Keith Dailey said. The Cincinnati Enquirer (tiered subscription model)  .....  " 

Checking out in the Aisle at Sainsbury

An approach we examined over the years in many forms.  In aisle checkout.  Recently took a close-up look at how Kroger was testing this idea with a handheld device.  The Sainsbury test will also include store item location and a shopping list.

In Gizmag: 
" ... No-one likes spending any longer at the supermarket than they have to. Whilst self-service checkouts may have sped things up a touch, one UK supermarket is now set to trial doing away with checkouts altogether. The new Sainsbury's app lets users scan items at the shelf and pay via their smartphone.   .. "

Watson as a New Ecosystem in Computing

We saw some the early Watson work, developed some of our related focused efforts.  Continue to follow its direction.  It is now positioned as an ecosystem:

In A Smarter Planet By Michael Rhodin:

When IBM’s Watson arrived on the scene three years ago, it did one thing really well: Answer written questions very quickly on a wide range of topics. It amazed all of us with its understanding of language and its ability to sort through vast amounts of data in seconds. But that was just the beginning.

Today, IBM Watson is on a path to augment and scale human expertise on a variety of dimensions. As a software geek, I’m really excited about this. We’re architecting a technology development system, called the Watson Platform, which will be like a library for cognitive technologies. Scientists within IBM Research and engineers in the Watson Group are building discrete cognitive components that can be pulled off the virtual shelf by developers at IBM, by entrepreneurs and by corporate developers–and used in any number of applications. ... " 

Intelligent Machine Design

An upcoming Webinar on Machine Design on May 23.  Requires registration. An area we looked into during our AI phase to better apply manufacturing methods in flexible and efficient ways.  I will be busy that day, but I see you can register for recorded access.  " ... The world is transitioning from traditional fixed-function and isolated machines to a new category of intelligent systems that offer vastly enhanced user experiences and increased information flow. In an effort to build smarter machines and manufacturing equipment for the intelligent factory, machine builders improve their control architectures with embedded systems that help them implement advanced control and monitoring tasks. This joint webinar from National Instruments and Intel provides insight into the challenges machine builders face today and demonstrates proven methods and solutions that help designers get ahead of the competition. You can see the impact graphical system design and customizable off-the-shelf hardware have on design process and success. You can also learn how embedded control and monitoring systems help builders understand differentiated machines without leaving their comfort zone. ... "