The shopping experience is next in the line of benefactors business are trying to inject technological advancements into. Amazon's Go store is one example of this — essentially an innovative consumer experience when one walks in, takes the necessary items, and then simply exits the store. But chip maker Intel has its own take on it.
Intel Responsive Retail Platform
Nascent as retail innovation is, Intel is totally onboard with its own Responsive Retail Platform, which is able to track store inventory and aid consumers in real time. It's a "horizontal platform that fosters the creation of highly flexible, scalable and innovative solutions." It will achieve this by merging together hardware, software, APIs, and sensors in a standardized way.
The platform creates a common set of sensors, software kits, and other assets to push the retail experience notches up. It will expedite inventory tracking, as previously mentioned, while also providing feedback on shoppers' buying habits. Stores who want to take advantage of the platform won't have to fumble up with separate solutions or experiment with their own — they can simply turn to Intel and its partners for their retail technology needs.
Intel's steep buzzwords might not make too much sense for the average folk, but it nevertheless is serious with its plans. In fact, it's shelling out $100 million for the retail industry over the next five years to keep the venture going.
Simbe Robotics' Tally
An example of what this platform could like is Tally, the world's first autonomous shelf auditing and analytics robot made by Simbe Robotics. Tally works hand-in-hand with retail associates to ensure that a store's products are always stocked, in their proper place, and that all products display their accurate price tag.
Tally operates even when employees and customers frolic around the area, and best of all, it doesn't require the establishment to implement drastic infrastructural changes. — meaning that Tally's upkeep won't mess with the store's layout, or require bulky installations just to rev it up and get it going.
On the other hand, there's also ShopperMX HIVE, which gives retailers a virtual reality preview of a store's layout.
To put it simply, if it's packing Intel chips under the hood, and it brushes past present-day tech, it's highly likely that Intel will consider integrating it into the platform.
Surely, Intel isn't the first name that pops up when tongues wag about retail, but no matter: its incentives are clear. By jumping on this bandwagon, it's also accelerating its Internet of Things business, which gives it another foothold beyond the PC chip market, and someone has to create those sensors used by participating retail stores in the future.
It remains to be seen whether retail companies end up hitching with Intel to board its Responsive Retail Platform. But the point is, it's good to know tech is reverberating across fronts not usually associated with innovation. Today, it's retail stores' turn, but in the future it could be hospitals, schools, or even rehabilitative institutions. Who knows?
What do you think about Intel's Responsive Retail Platform? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
