Smart refrigerators, smart pedal bins and talking robots are just a few of the innovations currently headlining at the CES technology convention in Las Vegas. These developments are also beyond interesting to retailers.
Speech technology
The internet of things is penetrating our kitchens. Refrigerators placing online orders are not new at all: Samsung‘s Family Hub, presented exactly one year ago, can recognize the food it stores and can even place orders through Mastercard‘s Groceries app.
The brand has now proposed an improved edition, with speech technology included, similar to what its competitor LG did. AMerican consumers can now talk to their fridge to place orders or to find a recipe. LG uses the same speech technology powering Amazon Echo and its fridges order from Amazon Fresh.
Online shopping
Not only fridges are becoming smarter: the pedal bin is no longer what it used to be. GeniCan is a smart bin connected to the Amazon Dash ordering system. You can add products to the shopping list, either with a scan or through speech, once you throw away the last package.
Yes, Alexa is everywhere (even in Antwerp, because we also have an Echo at the office, even though it is mostly a radio here…) and facilitates shopping. Retailers should therefore keep track of its developments and jump on board when possible, unless they are the ones actually shaping the developments, like Amazon…
Robots
Another hype are robots that assist shoppers thanks to artificial intelligence. We have already met Pepper, a robot currently trialed at Carrefour and Pizza Hut. There is also WiiGo, a robot to help shoppers at Auchan to carry groceries.
Hease, a French robot with artificial intelligence to engage shoppers, is new to the show. He can welcome, inform, guide customers, read and scan bar codes and loyalty cards, present product information and coupons… Shoppers allegedly engage a human-like robot faster than a static interactive column, according to Hease Robotics trials.
