Personal Shopping Assistant
Presented By: John Chang
Team Members: Albert Ayres, Jeremy Allen,
Steve Eleyet, & Tony Taylor
Copyright © 2001-2003, Farm Fresh. All rights
reserved.
1
PRESENTATION
OUTLINE
•PART I:
•BACKGROUND INFORMATION
•PART II:
•FINISHED PRODUCT DETAILS
•PART III:
•PROTOTYPE DETAILS & DEMONSTRATION
2
Part I : Background
• BACKGROUND INFORMATION
• Problem Statement
• Why Farm Fresh ?
• Goals/Objectives
• Risks
• Budget Summary
3
Problem Statement
• Current statistical studies indicate that the
local Farm Fresh Supermarket chain has a
declining customer base.
Source:
Food World, June 2001 and 2002 editions
The Scarborough Report, 2002
Pilot Online FOOD LION TOPS LIST OF LOCAL FOOD RETAILERS,June 28,
2003, page D1
4
Shopping Criteria
RESEARCH: Difficult to locate products (ACSI, 2002)
SURVEY: 84% had difficulty in the past finding the products
RESEARCH: Takes too long to get out of the store (PriceWaterHouseCoopers)
SURVEY: 85% would like to spend less time in the grocery store
RESEARCH: Unsure of how much total will be (PriceWaterHouseCoopers)
SURVEY: 86% would find it beneficial to know running total as they
shop
RESEARCH: Deterioration in customer service (ACSI, 2002)
SURVEY: 78% would like better customer service in grocery stores
Source: The American Customer Satisfaction Index
PriceWaterhouseCoopers Survey Report
5
Survey Results
• 70% Would use a
technical device that
would make shopping
more convenient
6
Why Farm Fresh?
• Online Shopping
– Use of Same Data
• Interviews
– CEO & Executives
• Location
– Locally Headquartered
7
Project Goals
• The PSA Project goals are two-fold:
– Goals to meet the needs of Farm Fresh
– Goals to meet the needs of supermarket
shoppers
8
Farm Fresh Goals
• Help reduce the loss of customers
• Convince previous customers to return to
shopping at Farm Fresh
• Entice new customers to shop at Farm
Fresh
• Identify Farm Fresh as a leader in
supermarket chains
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Shoppers Goals
• Assist shoppers in meeting their shopping
needs
• Enhance their shopping experience with
new services
• Increase the customer satisfaction of
shopping at Farm Fresh
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Project Objectives
• Establish a validated set of critical shopping
criteria
• Design a system that will enhance Farm Fresh’s
ability to deliver the critical shopping criteria
• Incorporate the system into a test store
supermarket
• Collect customer use and system performance
data
• Analyze the data to validate meeting the
system’s goals
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Risks
RISK
PROBABILITY
EFFECTS
PRODUCT LIFECYCLE
Non-Acceptance
MODERATE
SIGNIFICANT
EARLY/MIDDLE
DATABASE
INTERFACING
LOW
SIGNIFICANT
EARLY
WIRELESS
CONNECTION
(SPEED)
LOW
SIGNIFICANT
MIDDLE+
STRATEGY




EASE OF USE
ADVERTISING
TRAINING
POST-INSTALL
EVAL
 DEVELOP FULLY
FUNCTIONAL LAB
PROTOTYPE
 EVALUATE USAGE
 INCREASE
NUMBER OF
ACCESS POINTS
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Budget Summary
• First Year Costs for One System
– One System = One Store
• = 20 Mobile Units, 3 Access Points
• Second Year Costs for Remaining 36
Stores
• Sales Price, Return on Investment
13
First Year Production Costs
Personnel
Costs
Prototype
Development 32,997.12
Production
Development 525,987
Capital
NonMiscellaneous
Total
Investment Residual Expenditures/Admin
Costs
Value
Costs
Costs
4,643.78
431.48
39,135
1,391
38,072
150,282
716,795
754,867
14
Second Year Production
Costs
Production Costs for Remaining 36 Stores
Fixed Costs Variable Costs
Annual Production
Costs for 2nd Year
35,464
1,793,041
Total
1,828,506
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Sales Price & Return On
Investment
• Goals:
– Recoup all Costs & 20% Profit
Prototype Development
Production Development
Annual Production Costs for 2nd
Year
Total Costs for 37 systems
20% Profit
Total Price for 37 systems
Price Per System
Total
Costs
38,072
716,795
1,828,506
2,583,373
516,675
3,100,048
83,785
Cost of $3.1 Price Tag = Less Than 1% of Farm
Fresh’s Projected Net Profits for the next 2 years
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PART II: Finished Product
•
•
•
•
•
System Overview
Features
Hardware
Software
Wireless Communications
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System Overview
• The PSA is a mobile, multi-featured, easyto-use shopping assistance tool
• Provides features to assist shoppers as
they move through the supermarket
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Feature List
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Running Total
Product Directory
Store Map
Price Scanner
In-Cart List
Nutritional Information
Store Specials
Advertisements
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Hardware Components
• PSA User Device
– Manufactured By Contractor
– Built from COTS Parts
• Wireless Network
– Access Points - COTS
• Store’s Server
– Existing Server and Product Database
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System Layout
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PSA User Device
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User Device Characteristics &
Functions
• Characteristics:
– Computer housed in a rugged plastic case
– Mounts to the shopping cart handle
• Functions:
–
–
–
–
Provides access to the PSA features
User input
Output/Display
Wireless connection
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User Device Components
• Motherboard
– 200 MHz CPU
– 64 Mb RAM
– 64 Mb Flash Memory
• Display Screen
• Network Card
• Battery
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Barcode Wand Scanner
• Unitech MS265-01
• Characteristics:
– Mounts to the top of the user device
– Connects to the user device with a 4 foot reinforced
cord
– USB Connection
• Functions:
– Product price scanning
– Add items to the In-Cart list
© Unitech
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Wireless Network Card
• Friendlynet FBT100
– Range: 33 ft
– Standard: 802.11b
– Installed in each User Device
© Friendlynet
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Battery
• Sharp Mebius High Capacity
• 4 cell Li-ion Battery
Power Consumption Table
mA (max)
Wireless Network
170 per hour
Card
Scanner
180 per hour
Screen
19.6 per hour
Flash Memory
50 per hour
Total Power
419.6 per
hour
Battery Power
3000 per hour
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Wireless Access Points
• Wireless Access Points (3)
– Symbol AP 4121 Access Point
– Range: 295 ft
– Standard: 802.11b
– Installed on the store ceiling
– Connected to Store’s Server
© Symbol
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Wireless Dataflow
PSA Data Flow
Server
Wireless
Transmission
Requested Query
Query Results
Data
Product
Database
Data
Request
PSA User
Device
Menu Selection
Feature
Selection
GUI translation
To/From Data
Information
Displayed
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Store’s Server
• Server exists at each Farm Fresh location
• Communicates with the PSA wireless
network (Hard-wired to Access Points)
• Stores existing product database
• Provides a platform for system
administration functions
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Software Components
• PSA User Device Software
• Server/Database
• Administrative Tools
Data Flow Between Software Components
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PSA User Device Software
•
•
•
•
Operating system is UNIX-based
Implements the system’s features
Prompts the user for input
Requests database queries for required
product information
• Outputs user-requested information
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Communications Software
• Facilitates wireless communications
• Controls data transmission between the
PSA User Devices and the store’s server
• Maintains a system use log
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Administrative Tools
• Tools for the system administrator
• Functions:
– Set up user logs
– Update advertisements
– Update store specials
34
Central Database
• Database exists at each Farm Fresh
location
• Stores product information
• Accessed by Other Applications
– P.O.S. Registers
– Online Shopping
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PART III: Prototype
•
•
•
•
Goals
What It Demonstrates
What It Doesn’t Demonstrate
Demonstration
36
Goals
• Build a demonstration prototype that
demonstrates the usage of the PSA from
the shopper’s point of view
• Address most significant risk: NonAcceptance
37
What It Demonstrates
• Mimics User Device
• Demonstrates the use of Every Feature
– Separately
– In-Conjunction with each other
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What It Does Not
Demonstrate
• Total System Functionality
– Database Interface
– Wireless Communications (Speed)
• Future “Lab Prototype”
• Current “Demonstration Prototype”
– Proof of Concept
– Existing Technology
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Demonstration
•
•
•
•
•
•
Wireless Connection - Keyboard
Database Interface – Flat Files
Screen – Desktop Screen
Buttons – “F” Keys
Scanner – Manual Input
Features (States)
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• Main
Prototype Features
– Welcome OR In-Cart List
•
•
•
•
•
Map
Product Directory
Store Specials
Advertisements
Price Scanning
– Adding/Subtracting Quantities
• Nutritional Information
• In-Cart List
– Deleting Products/Quantities from List
• Reset
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Conclusion: Future
Possibilities
• Basic Features
• Branch Out Nationally to Other
Supermarkets
• Incorporate into other types of Specialty
Retail Chains
–
–
–
–
–
Home Improvement
Consumer Electronics
Home Office
Toys
Sporting Goods
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