Finiper is checking shopping trolleys with AI on new handheld scanners from Datalogic
The Finiper retail group is rolling out more than 700 Datalogic Joya smart handheld scanners across five of its Iper La Grande i stores in northern Italy. With this move, the Italian retailer is scaling up a self-scanning solution that customers continue to use as a portable handheld device, but which, for the first time, can also monitor shopping trolleys using integrated AI technology. Iper La Grande i launched the initial rollout of just under 200 devices at its store in Arese, near Milan, at the end of January this year.
These new smart devices are designed to improve the traditional self-scanning process using handheld devices. Customers at the stores continue to scan their items while a rear-facing camera uses AI to check the contents of the trolley. The Datalogic system identifies any items that may not have been scanned in real time and helps Iper La Grande i’s store teams pinpoint those items that need to be checked again.
In addition, Datalogic has expanded the standard self-scanning functions with Joya Smart. Customers can also scan GS1 Digital Link-enabled QR codes on the 5-inch display to view product information such as ingredients, nutritional values and special offers on the device before making a purchase.
Datalogic moves control to the device
Unlike other AI-based shopping trolley verification solutions, Datalogic’s Joya Smart integrates basket verification into a portable self-scanning device. In comparison, Instacart’s Caper and KBST’s Smart Carts detect items in smart shopping trolleys. Shopic relies on clip-on devices or smartphone cameras and Walmart’s Sam’s Club uses computer vision to compare the shopping carts with the digital receipt at the exit.
Iper La Grande i has implemented the first live deployment of the new Joya handheld scanners and the latest version of its Shopevolution self-scanning software platform at its Arese site. Since its launch at the end of January this year, the solution has been running smoothly, helping to ease the workload of the retail company’s store teams, particularly during busy periods and at peak times.
Iper La Grande i scales up the launch in Arese
The Italian retail company is using the pilot project, which is based on Datalogic’s hardware and software stack, as the foundation for further expansion. Federico Accurso, ICT Supply Chain & Retail Manager at Iper La Grande i, says that the launch in Arese is an important milestone and that the planned roll-out will provide the retail company with a solid basis for gradually improving self-service shopping in its stores.
