An official with Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions said there will be opportunities in 2020 to impact how retailers can become more competitive and deliver better experiences, as well as create more operational efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re talking about moments that inspire,\u201d said Fredrik Carlegren, executive director of global marketing for the Durham, North Carolina-based company that specializes in integrated in-store solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you look at the word experience, it\u2019s really a multitude of individual moments that create that experience, so we have many different facets that we are focusing on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carlegren\u2019s remarks came during a visit with Geoff Welch, Midwest VP for Shelby Publishing, at the recent National Retail Federation \u201cBig Show\u201d in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe main feature is really where we see technology around a frictionless, seamless store of the future going,\u201d Carlegren said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that there\u2019s also a focus on how to help retailers get out of \u201cbeing stuck in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response to a question about self-service, Carlegren noted there are two reasons Toshiba is focused on that area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne,\u201d he said, \u201cis because it is what consumers expect. They like choice. They like the opportunity to leverage the self-service option. But also from retailers\u2019 perspective to allow them to optimize their labor problems. You see a lot of focus on how to best utilize labor in the store to drive revenue as opposed to focusing on tasks that are maybe more transactional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carlegren went on to note that Toshiba also is focusing on intelligence in self-checkout systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat it is not just providing a self-service option but also gives retailers more control,\u201d he explained. \u201cWe do have the software to manage and check the operational statistics but also to set up different configuration levels for shoppers\u2014whether it be loyal shoppers or unknown shoppers\u2014so that you can control the experience, maybe control the level of interventions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the keys is to create a seamless and easy shopping experience for the consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe other thing we are focusing on, and showing here at NRF, is what we are doing to focus on the loss-prevention challenge,\u201d Carlegren said. \u201cBecause in self-checkout and in self-service, loss prevention is a key challenge. And we have to be able to address that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One way Toshiba is addressing that is through new computer vision technology with artificial intelligence that does the real time produce and item recognition at the lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[That] not only provides a better experience on the shopper side, because it can show you the item that\u2019s on the scale, but that also is a theft deterrent,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause if you scan an item, you cover a barcode, you put a wrong item on there, it\u2019ll detect that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other way Toshiba is focusing in on the overall value, according to Carlegren, is by not stopping every shopper at a point of intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe let shoppers continue through, but we are working to track all of the concerns that might be raised during a transaction,\u201d he said. And that can be done from the shelf through the checkout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toshiba is looking at technology in the near term, Carlegren said, and \u201capplying that same computer vision in-shelf or in-aisle, where you can see what consumers are picking off the shelf, you can validate that through a self-service checkout and allow customers to get out of the store.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The technology also can help store management determine what products are selling and where shoppers are spending their time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Carlegren explained, \u201cThen you are getting into some really powerful capabilities, because that is really where it is going, [with] some of the smart-shelf technologies and cameras combined, you really can start to get that view \u2026 what items have been looked at and then put back as well, which is really interesting when you start to think about it from a CPG perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThen you really are locking a lot of opportunity for retailers. CPG companies also [want] to understand how consumers are shopping your store \u2026 Ultimately though, that translates into better merchandising, store design and creating a differentiation for your consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carlegren added that there \u201creally is an opportunity for a win-win scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe technology is an enabler, but it\u2019s not the goal obviously,\u201d he said. \u201cThe goal is \u2026 to use technology that eliminates friction throughout the shopping experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Checkout has traditionally been one of those areas that is a point of friction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While acknowledging the educational aspects of the program, Carlegren also pointed to operational change or change management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne of the things that we are focused on, too, is how to allow retailers to leverage technology\u2014but not change\u2014the consumer shopping behavior,\u201d he said. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t have to educate your consumers to behave differently than is natural to them. So you want to look at how you apply technology that becomes still natural in the way the consumers want to shop. And then you are on the right path.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it\u2019s not just the different Toshiba technologies, products and solutions, Carlegren said it\u2019s also \u201chow you put those together\u2026it\u2019s ultimately based on what the outcome is and what you are trying to drive to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the possibilities Carlegren cited were Toshiba\u2019s Self Checkout System 7, which he said a lot of retailers start with, and the TCx 8 Elevate, which is \u201ca digital commerce platform powered by micro services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of Toshiba\u2019s clients is Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons grocery company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been very, very pleased with partnering with them,\u201d Carlegren said. \u201cAnd it really is about driving a better customer experience. They are very focused on that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To Carlegren, one of the key self-service pieces for Albertsons is intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBecause you have to make that if you are going to offer a self-service option,\u201d he said. \u201cIt has to be easy and convenient for the consumer. And you have to also make sure though that you are protecting the retailer\u2019s valuable assets and focusing on minimizing that shrink that can happen otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n