“This is so outdated—surely there must be a better way?”
Xander Rijken – Innovation Partner
You probably know the feeling… The hustle and bustle of the holidays (Sinterklaas, Christmas, Easter, the first nice day of the year when the whole of the Netherlands goes out to barbecue) and, along with that, the frustration of all the shopping. Fortunately, you’re not the only one facing this dilemma—and that’s exactly the biggest source of annoyance. It seems as if everyone gathers at the same time at the local toy store, perfume shop, and supermarket—and that means waiting, waiting, and more waiting.
That was the case last weekend, too, when—for the umpteenth time—I found myself in an endless line at the supermarket and the parking meter, and I thought to myself: “This is so outdated—surely there must be a better way?”
It could be so beautiful…
Imagine this: You walk into the supermarket and open the store’s app using your personal customer number. Using the app, you scan the barcode on the shopping cart. This shopping cart is now linked to you and follows you through the store. As you load your groceries into the cart, the items are automatically scanned and added to your bill.
When you’re done shopping, pay for your groceries using the app. Once the payment is complete, you’ll receive a barcode in the app as proof of payment. When you leave the store, scan this barcode, and the gate will open so you can walk calmly to your car. After you’ve put everything in your trunk, unlink the shopping cart from your personal ID. The shopping cart will automatically return to the cart collection point, and you can get behind the wheel and drive home without any hassle.
When you exit the parking garage, your car is scanned, and your parking time is calculated and charged via credit card or direct debit.
How much better would your shopping experience be?
But how?
This isn’t just a pipe dream; with the Internet of Things (IoT), this shopping experience is within reach. Using SAP Internet of Things—also known as SAP Leonardo—you can (when looking at the smart supermarket) easily connect and integrate smart devices, such as shopping carts, smartphones, scanners, and sensors, easily connect them to each other and integrate them into your business processes (SAP ECC or S/4HANA).
By leveraging IoT, the customer becomes an integral part of your business process, and you can bring customer interactions much closer. You’ll be able to engage with customers much more directly and improve the customer experience.
What’s in it for me? I can shop without being bothered, and the long waits are over. Shopping is made easier for me, and my experience as a customer is positively impacted. If only there were a robot available to put the groceries in the car and then in the right place in the kitchen. Which personal assistant could we use for this?
