The Review: Metro Group's Future Store Initiative

The intense competition German retail market have encouraged Metro Group, one of Europe's largest retailers, to test new technologies that simplify the way shoppers pick and pay for shopping, and persuade them into buying more. Here, at Metro's Future Store in Rheinberg, a medium-sized city north of Düsseldorf, near the Dutch border. Customers at the Future Store can use some incredible features that promise speed and comfortable. All seeking ways to reduce theft and improve inventory control.

Refrigerator which can scan all item therein and make it into the list of the items, called "Smart Fridges". If we take one of the item, the refrigerator will know and remove the item from the list. After that, the information about the item which have been taken or there is nothing in the refrigerator will sent via internet to "Electronic Shopping List". Electronic shopping list is provided on the home PC and sent via internet to the future store.

All information about electronic shopping list and payment is packaged into the card which have a chip and use RFID technology. That card can be called "Future Card". When customer shopping, all information will displayed in their PDA which exist in the "Smart Trolley". If customer pick up item in the "Smart Shelf", then stock item in the shelf will decrease and that information will be sent to the PDA's employee. Smart Shelf alert staff to fill items that are running low or are sold out, so the employee can know with easily what items are sold out, so they can fill the empty items quickly. 

In Metro's Future Store, there is "Smart Information Terminal" which contains information about all item in the store. The monitor of smart information terminal displays menu for recipe and location, so customer will know the item that they select can be used for something and located on the shelf. That recipe information will be transmitted to customer's cell phone. Smart information terminal, not only display information about recipe and location, but also display advertising such as price and discount that is offered.

The entire store is covered by a wireless local-area network. The network links to all mobile devices, such as the computers, called personal shopping assistants (PSA), and even many stationary devices, including electronic shelf, flat-screen displays which is used for promotion product.

When customer buy item which its weight unknown, it must be scaled with "Smart Scales" with digital cameras. Smart scales can scan the item and know its type. The information that will be displayed is about type of the item, its weight, and name of the employee who served. Smart scales know name of the employee who served through scanning name tag of the employee with RFID.

Another feature is "Smart Dressing Room" where customer can pick clothes that they want to buy. In smart dressing room, customer can know and consider the clothes which suits with them without should to try directly. Customer can see the result if they wear that clothes in a monitor. After that, they can pick up the selected clothes at the information counter.

For women, there are also "Smart Mirror" which try a make-up-products on their own picture. To use smart mirror, position yourself in front of the camera and press button. Choose one of our five individual looks, there are; sophisticated, professional, evening, trendy, and natural. Then modify the intensity of the shades, like; foundation, blush, lipstick, eye shadow, and mascara. Next you can print your picture and send the chosen products to your Electronic Shopping List. The products have been sent to the shopping list.

Last, after customer pick all the items that they need and put in their trolley, they can go to "Future Check-out". At future check-out, it identify their smart trolley contents and awaiting payment process. With the PSA, your purchases are immediately transmitted over the wireless network to the checkout terminal. All you need to do is give the cashier your reference number assigned by the PSA and pay.

Some Features of Metro Group Future Store

• Smart Fridges 
• Smart Washing Machine
• Electronic Shopping List 
• Future Card 
• Smart Shelf 
• Smart Information Terminal 
• Advertising Display 
• Smart Scales with RFID
• Smart Trolley Automatically 
• Smart Dressing Room 
• Smart Mirror 
• Future Check-out

  

Technology

1. Fast and Personal - Personal Shopping Assistant (PSA)

The convenient, user-friendly computer on the shopping cart.

2. Exciting and Informative - Electronic Advertising Displays

In the Future Store, Electronic Advertising Displays are located right next to the products themselves. They provide reliable, up-to-date information on products and Store are fitted with centrally-controlled electronic price tags. Price changes are automatically and wirelessly sent to the display and to the check-out.

3. Faster Weighing - Intelligent Scales

Automatically recognizes what type of fruit or vegetable is being weighed.

4. Do it Yourself - Self Check-out

Be your own cashier - with the new Self Check-out system.

5. Smart Assistant for the Staff - PDA

Thanks to the wireless Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), store employees can communicate more flexibly and efficiently.

6. Wireless LAN - Wireless Information Highway

The wireless local network is the backbone of the Future Store’s data and speech communication system.

7. RFID - Basic Technology for the Store of the Future

The RFID technology in the Future Store provides a host of benefits for customers, stores and the consumer goods industry alike.

8. Make it Possible - Micro chips

The RFID technology (Radio Frequency Identification) is the basis for optimized retail processes.

9. Never Empty - Smart Shelves

Readers built into the shelves recognize the RFID label attached to each product, and detect when a product has been incorrectly placed or removed.

Overview

To meet rising customer expectations and stay ahead of the competition, Metro Group try to enrich the shopping experience of its retail customers by providing them with valuable and relevant content in real time. Metro Group and IBM worked together to create a first-of-a-kind “smart” solution for retail by tracking product movement in real time. This same capability provides Metro Group with real-time business intelligence and tools to optimize its retail processes. 

Beginning the experience with a digital Personal Shopping Assistant attached to your shopping cart. Involve the customer shopping experience while continuously empowering them to make informed choices. Best-of-breed technology in combination with User-Centred-Design enables the customer to smartly navigate the shopping environment and find preferred products. Strategically placed Info-Terminals also engages the shopper to explore recipes or search for that special item on their list. Then "Self-Checkout" or not, it's your choice.

Key to success are; More engaging customer experience through detailed product information delivery, improvements in inventory and shelf replenishment management, and reductions in out-of-stock situations and lost sales through automated replenishment alerts.