Creating an interactive experience
Accenture helped the supermarket redesign its information architecture, implement its IT infrastructure, and analyze and develop point-of-sale touch points. Coop Italia and Accenture had to strike the right balance in using technology to enhance the overall experience, not hinder it. Every decision was based on key consumer insights, resulting in a design that provided shoppers with the tools and information to make their experience as convenient and personalized as possible.
To implement this groundbreaking plan, Accenture collaborated with Avanade, a joint-venture company between Accenture and Microsoft. Using a Microsoft Azure cloud-based platform as its technological foundation, Accenture and Avanade delivered a solid, modular and flexible solution that can be easily scaled to a large number of stores.
High tech + high touch
- Interactive tables: Products are exhibited in the supermarket on large interactive tables where a simple hand movement shows augmented information about the product on a monitor, including its origins, nutritional facts, any allergens, waste disposal instructions, correlated products and promotions. This augmented experience is made possible by Microsoft Kinect sensors that use body detection to interpret the customer’s gestures.
- Vertical shelving: In the new store, the traditional shelving layout has been revamped and a nearby touch application enables the customer to navigate through product categories to filter and search for the most suitable products, discover promotions, and view detailed product information. The result is an augmented label that gives the customer deeper insight into the product they are purchasing.
- Real-time data visualization: During the journey through the store, customers can take a look at a large real-time data visualization screen showing content including: Coop’s brand values, special daily offerings and cooking suggestions, social media information like posts on Coop’s Facebook account as well as top-selling products and promotions for each category. This facilitates an additional interaction point with shoppers.
ShoppY: The chatbot to create your grocery list
Forget that old paper shopping list. Now you can do all your grocery shopping with the help of the chatbot ShoppY, a virtual shopping assistant designed to help you with your shopping lists, give you purchase recommendations, notify you of promotions, help you find products in the store, and even tell you when the store is open.
Developed by Accenture and Avanade using Microsoft technology, the chatbot takes advantage of machine learning algorithms to learn on its own from the information on shopping receipts in order to provide customers with a helpful service.
