Mission Ignition #7: Shopping
As the year draws to a close and things start wrapping up, I post my final submission for the Mission Ignition blog series.
University ended last week and I came home after my final presentations. On Saturday I went shopping with my mother. The stores where full as it was just after the 15th, 'payday' for some. We went to a clothes store and I browsed around for some work clothes, as I'll be starting work soon. When I was done, I decided to stand in the line while my mother still browsed the store. When my mother was done, she joined me in the line and we proceeded to the pay point.
While standing in the line, I thought about this process. I decided to do a QuestioningLens Ignition regarding this. Considering my technological focus, I thought about how this process could be made more efficient with the use of technology.
image source: wikimedia.org
Relevant Question:
Is a completely wireless shopping experience possible?
Can the integration of current technology be used to eliminate queues in a store?
This solution has probably been proposed before but I will expand on it. All products could be equipped with RFID-tags. These Radio Frequency Identification tags can be used to determine which products you have put in your shopping trolley. A simple screen on the trolley could display the total of the items in your trolley. This could also be connected to a phone app which totals up the prices and shows the cost.
Another problem is finding products in a store. The overhead boards in the isles are often too vague and you can't determine where products are (if you do not frequent that particular store). I remember hearing about Indoor Navigation by Google Maps which could make this process much more efficient. You could therefore add in your shopping list (on your phone), download the specific map for the store you will be visiting and the application will plot your path through the store (ensuring that you pick up frozens last).
Extending this, payments could be made more efficient with the rise of wireless/mobile payment. At a recent music festival I attended, they had NFC wristbands that were connected to an app which you have granted permission to bill your credit card. This Near Field Communication tags identify you at the till point and by tapping the NFC-bracelet onto the receiver, the amount is deducted from your account. NFC can also be a feature of a smartphone.
You therefore simply walk into the store, follow the navigation on your phone and grab the items you want. You simply tap your phone at the exit and off you go. An all-encompassing shopping app.
This system does however bring with it security issues. The biggest probably being stolen phones. Security measures will have to be put in place, such as authorising payments, which might slow down the process once more. The implementation of such a system is a very big project and during the transition to a system like this, the current system will still have to be supported.
It will therefore be more effort to implement if ALL stores don't implement it at roughly the same time. This could very well be one version of our future.
This blog series is based on the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation’s Ignitions program. This type of ignition is known as a Questioning Lens Ignition. The Questioning Lens will help you look at the situation more critically, with a view to practicing the identification of inefficiencies and thinking of solutions. Imagine you are wearing a massive pair of glasses, called the Questioning Lens, through which you view the situation.
After identifying a potential inefficiency, ask relevant questions that will lead to a potential innovative and realistic solution to address the problem. Apply your thinking to provide a potential solution.
