Smart Scanning & Shopping Solution

The design of the smart scanning shopping solution addresses the implications long checkout lines have for on-the-go shoppers along with businesses. As indicated by various studies conducted in the U.S.A. many businesses see shoppers leaving their stores and not returning in the future due to long checkout lines, resulting in the loss of potential sales. Shoppers are becoming impatient and want an experience that is quick, seamless, and easy. By addressing this issue with our product and allowing consumers to shop and pay on-the-go without dealing with lineups and cashiers, consumers will be enabled to bypass the traditional checkout lanes, resulting in a more efficient shopping experience.

Innovation was always at the core of our groups operating values. It was agreed upon that innovation as a founding principle would allow us to foster a modular environment of flexibility and adaptability when engaging in market challenges. Our product reflects this principle in that it is modular and can easily be modified for adoption and thus fulfilling the needs of our diverse customers. Our web-application is the first accessible smart self checkout solution which doesn’t rely on expensive in-store hardware for execution. Having developed a web-application also allows us to offer our services to both Android and IOS users without having to opt into expensive traditional app-store fees. Meanwhile all retail customers using our product won’t be subject to app downloads on their devices to use our services.

Upon analyzing business operational effectiveness, our solutions offers a viable solution to businesses restricted by retail space and overhead costs to deploy an increased number of staff. Our solutions enables them to increase their sales without having to bring on additional staff or relocate into a bigger spaces. From a consumer perspective, our technology enables a quick and easy checkout option without the hassle of waiting in line. This product is ideal for consumers who are on-the-go and are looking to purchase 10 items or less from a physical retail store. Our solution also brings forth an element of privacy which may be favoured by consumers within pharmacy settings. Overall, this provides an efficient shopping solution for consumers, and allows businesses to decrease their operating costs while attracting digital shoppers.

During the fall semester, the teams’ efforts were focused on the design and development of the web-based application. The web-based application was tested on various cellular devices to ensure it was fully functional across all interfaces. We conducted tests to ensure the application was functioning the same regardless of display size and orientation. Additionally, the QR code scanner was tested to ensure users could scan product barcodes regardless of orientation, poor lighting, and range. During the winter semester, the hardware component was designed, constructed, and tested rigorously to ensure that the weigh scale was sensitive enough to accurately detect extremely light objects. The weight measured by our weigh scale was compared to a pre-existing manufactured weigh scale as a comparison. Throughout the development and testing of the product, we have strived to ensure that we meet the specifications outlined by Measurement Canada for weigh scale sensitivity and acceptable limits of error.

Our product was consistently assessed for feasibility as we progressed through the research, development, integration and testing phases as part of the product lifecycle. These feasibility assessments included cost, schedule, performance and user requirements. Our users require an easy-to-use shopping method, while our clients require retail performance at competitive pricing. Upon evaluating these realities of our target market, we can successfully deem our solution to be highly feasibly. Consisting of a web-app structure, our solution remains easy to use for any shopper without having to download apps or setting up accounts. Utilizing smartphones to enable self checkouts also drastically reduces the operating costs for all involved retailers as our base usage pricing is around 90% lower than typical costs associated with the installation, maintenance and usage of conventional self-checkout solutions.