The IBM lab in Haifa is a partner in implementing augmented reality

Researchers at the IBM Lab in Haifa are developing an "augmented reality" application for smart phones that will allow supermarket customers to receive comprehensive information, reviews and price comparisons in real time

Researchers at the IBM Research Laboratory in Haifa are developing the first augmented reality application that will allow smartphone users to scan store shelves with their phone camera and receive customized information about the products, recommendations from other customers, coupons for sales promotions, and more.

Upon entering the store, the customer will download the application to his smartphone or tablet, register and define a profile of the variables he is interested in, starting from the list of the product's components and reference to allergy factors to the question of whether the packaging is environmentally friendly and biodegradable.
When the consumer points the camera of the mobile phone or tablet device at the supermarket shelf, the application will recognize the product and display comprehensive information projected onto the product image. The combined data may include price comparison analysis, customer reviews, ingredient list, environmental friendliness rating, or any other information that can guide the customer. Customers who choose this will also be able to integrate information from social networks: if someone from their friend list commented on the product - the system will know how to display their comment.
So, for example, a shopper in the store who is considering the purchase of a package of breakfast cereals will be able to define in advance in the system that he is interested in low-sugar brands, packaged in biodegradable packaging, as part of discount promotions - and receive a high rating from other customers. When this shopper points the camera integrated in his mobile device towards the boxes of breakfast cereals displayed on the supermarket shelf, the application will display a super image of the whole of this data, on top of the image of the product to which the data refers. The application developed by IBM researchers will also be able to rate each of several items displayed in one image, based on the customer's preferences - and incorporate data from relevant sales promotions.
Oded Cohen, director of the IBM Research Laboratory in Haifa, stated when unveiling the application that "We are currently entering the age of smart commerce, where consumers are looking for retailers they can trust. Providing personalized information and support in the purchasing decision process may enrich the shopping experience and strengthen the relationship between the consumer and between the retailer. As the competition intensifies - business models must be renewed and ways of personal communication must be developed between IBM's customers around the world Retail - and among their consumer audience."
The application developed, as mentioned, in the IBM research laboratory in Haifa deals with the gap that currently exists between the personal service that buyers enjoy on the Internet and the shopping experience in a store, as far as receiving comprehensive information immediately, with the press of a single key. The amount of information available to the shopper in stores is significantly lower than that available to the shopper online - even though even in the age of the Internet, shopping in stores constitutes 92% of the volume of retail trade. Continued…
Sima Nadler, the leader of the retail sector in IBM's research division, states that "in the age of social media, customer expectations are increasing: they want to receive information, offers and advice in real time regarding the items they are considering purchasing. Closing the gap between the online shopping experience and the in-store shopping experience will allow For retailers to meet the unique needs of each customer, and to convince this customer to return to the store in the next purchases as well."
Customers who download the new application to their mobile phone will register, be identified by phone number or customer club membership card, and define their profile. This one-time setup process will allow the user to receive personalized information, taking into account their preferred diet, environmental or religious considerations: products with reduced salt, sugar-free, locally grown, kosher, and so on. All of these are cross-referenced and combined with price data as well.
How will it work?
Upon entering the store, the customer will activate the application, and point the phone or tablet camera at the shelf. The system will identify the products according to their shape, color and other variables processed through image processing technologies. After weighing criteria entered by the user, a central application based on IBM's smart trading tool will process all the data - and present recommendations and offers to the customer. These are combined in one image, on top of the image of the product to which they refer, in the technology of "enhanced layered reality", augmented reality.

The availability of IBM's new application will allow retail marketers to better communicate with their customers even when they are in the store itself, and to examine data that has not been collected until now. In this way, it will be possible to ensure maximum exploitation of the opportunities to offer complementary products and products that suit the nature of the customer passing through the supermarket shelves, for example: the buyer who purchases breakfast cereal will receive a special offer for milk, and so on.