INGENIEUR
Shopping during contagious disease outbreaks
Online retail e-commerce has ushered in a golden period of development due to the recent outbreak of COVID-19 . Online shopping was favoured by consumers when global retail was experiencing a wave of unprecedented store closures to reduce the spread of Covid-19 . When the Movement Control Order ( MCO ) was lifted , people no longer liked being cooped up in the house and that ’ s why we see the crowds back in many shopping malls . It is also evidenced by increasing physical retail transactions . This is a good development , showing that the economy is on its way to recovery . However , COVID-19 is not over yet and we still need to take the necessary precautions to protect ourselves . Therefore , in order not to compromise on our daily routines and enjoyment , is there anything we can use to enhance the shopping experience ?
The shopping cart has become a part of daily life . The first shopping cart was launched in 1937 and was invented by Sylvan Goldman , the owner of a supermarket [ 11 ]. In recent years , with the emergence and wide application of the Internet of Things ( IoT ), smart shopping carts have appeared in the retail industry .
Superhii Technology Company , Xi ’ an , China , launched the X-type intelligent shopping cart in 2018 and uses big data and deep learning algorithms to enable customers to selfservice while shopping [ 12 ]. At the same time , it incorporates GPS technology to achieve positioning and navigation in supermarkets , helps supermarkets optimise display and line movement , and solves the problem of charging and queuing for traditional offline shopping . It is a relatively mature smart shopping cart on the market . It has established strategic co-operation with dozens of supermarket brands such as Japan 711 Group , Panasonic Group , Wal-Mart , China Resources Ole and Wumart Supermarket . It allows customers to use WeChat and other apps to scan barcodes for self-service payment . At the same time , it pays attention to the customer experience and puts forward various smart shopping cart styles to cope with various situations , giving it unique competitiveness in the market . In 2020 , e-commerce giant Amazon launched a smart
Figure 3 : Superhii Shopping Cart
Figure 4 : Amazon Dash Cart
shopping cart called “ Dash Cart ” [ 13 ]. This cart has an interactive touch screen , cameras , computer vision technology and a weight sensor . The camera of the shopping cart can capture the goods put into the shopping cart , identify the types of goods through computer vision and weight sensors , and automatically record them . Customers can scan the barcode on the product or directly enter the product code into the interactive touch screen . For fresh goods and other goods that need to be weighed , the weight sensor of the shopping cart can be used by customers to weigh and get prices . Finally , customers can log
24 VOL 93 JANUARY-MARCH 2023