"No need for a register" a show to introduce the modern technology of a store

Recently the NHK News On-line reported the following:

 “レジ不要”店舗の最新技術などを紹介する展示会

3月6日 17時12分

人手不足に悩む小売りの業界を支援するため、レジのいらない店をつくる最新の技術などを紹介する展示会が開かれ、さまざまな企業が近未来の買い物のしかたを提案しています。

６日から東京都内で始まった展示会には、およそ２１０社が出展しています。

「ＮＥＣ」が展示したのは、レジのいらない店を実現する技術で、顔認証の機能がある店内のカメラが、客がどの商品を手に取ったかを認識し店を出る時にそのまま支払いの決済ができます。財布やスマートフォンを持たなくても、買い物できるのが特徴です。

「沖電気工業」の技術は、店内のカメラで客の人数のほか、それぞれの性別、年齢を分析し、ＡＩ＝人工知能がレジの混み具合を予測するシステムです。ＡＩが「３０分後にレジが混雑しそう」と予測すれば、店ではそれにあわせて稼働させるレジの数を増やし、客の待ち時間を減らせるということです。

「富士通」の技術は、客がどの商品をどれくらいの時間、見ているかをカメラで捉え、商品への関心をＡＩが分析します。関心を持った客に、店員が適切なタイミングで声をかけて商品の説明ができるということです。

富士通研究所の開発担当、上村拓也さんは「快適な接客につながり、人手不足に悩む店側の負担も減らせる。客がまた来店したくなる店づくりが実現できる」と話していました。

展示会は、東京ビッグサイトで今月９日まで開かれています。

My translation

 To support of the retail industry that was troubled with labor shortage, an exhibition was held to introduce the latest technology to make a store that needed no register, and various enterprises had proposed the near-future way of the shopping.

Approximately 210 companies were participating at the exhibition which was started in Tokyo-to from the 6th.

What "NEC" exhibited was a technology that could made real a store without the need for a register.  A camera in the store that functioned as facial authentication could recognize a visitor who took goods in his hand and went out of the store, payment could be settled just as that. The special feature was that you could shop even if you did not have a purse and smart phone.

About the technology of "Oki Electric Industry", it used a camera in the store to analyze the gender and age of each individual in addition to the number of visitors. The system used the AI= artificial intelligence to predict the crowded condition of the register. When AI predicted that "the register would be crowded 30 minutes later", then it would accordingly increase the number of cashiers to operate, and it was said that they could reduce the waiting time of customers.

The technology of "Fujitsu" used a camera to catch what goods and for how long a customer was looking at, and then the AI analyzed his interest in the goods. A shop assistant would speak to this interested customer at an appropriate timing to say that he could explain the goods.

Mr. Takuya Uemura the development in-charge of Fujitsu research center said that “while linked to comfortable customer service, the burden on the store side over labor shortage can also be reduced. To make a store that visitors feel like coming again can be achieved."

The exhibition was held at Tokyo Big Sighton until the 9th this month.

     I think the new technology could help improve the shopping experience of customers.