How Artificial Intelligence Can Be Beneficial in the Retail Sector

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), two subfields of computer science, can play a huge part in the digitization of brick-and-mortar organizations. This is due in part to the capacity of AI and ML to personalize the shopping experience for customers. Additionally, these technologies can provide companies with valuable data about customer interaction and other aspects of the business.

Artificial intelligence uses a technique known as machine learning to improve its performance in real time. In addition, artificial intelligence can learn from previously gathered data and experiences, thus improving its future performance. 

AI in the retail sector

Artificial intelligence allows companies to seamlessly integrate their physical and online business channels via this technology. There are many solutions that a retailer can implement using AI to benefit the customer and the business. 

Furthermore, machine learning, a subset of artificial intelligence, can also be employed to improve the results of implementing artificial intelligence.

Machine learning employs statistical techniques to develop systems capable of learning independently and developing due to their experiences. 

The process involves using algorithms that can learn from the information it analyses after being provided with vast amounts of data and given enough time. In other words, training an algorithm entails allowing it to "learn" from the data it analyses.

Machine learning is a good tool for breaking down this data and finding patterns. Also, the fact that it can improve on its own is another beneficial factor. The more data that an algorithm receives and the more varied it is, the more the AI can learn from it. 

How SeeChange and Keymakr are using AI to prevent accidents in stores

SeeChange, an AI provider for global retailers with award-winning health and safety solutions preventing slips, trips, and falls, has partnered with Keymakr, a data-annotation service provider that delivers high-quality datasets to AI innovators, to reduce the number of times shoppers and employees slip, trip, or fall in brick-and-mortar stores. Through this partnership, Keymakr provides data annotation for SeeChange to easily identify and notify employees of liquid spills in large stores including Asda supermarket chain in the UK.  

Slips, trips, and falls are the third most common cause of lost-workday injuries in wholesale and retail establishments, many of which are preventable. SeeChange leverages AI to detect clear liquid spills automatically and notify employees of potential fall-risk areas in real-time. The company developed SpillDetect by using thousands of images from existing CCTV network infrastructures. Notifications are provided via the portal or through announcements, email, SMS, or other integrations. Spills are detected, and the image and a 30-second video clip are displayed before the spill. 

SeeChange leverages Keymakr’s video annotation and objects tracking to provide one of the most accurate results in the industry. Keymakr also works with retail companies, which deal with data that comes from mobile devices, logistics, and warehouse cameras. The company follows strict data standards and is compliant with the European Union’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). 

The partnership comes on the heels of Keymakr’s launch of Keylabs, its purpose-built SaaS platform. The platform enables all companies to leverage Keymakr’s uniquely effective annotation capabilities regardless of whether they have data annotation teams. In addition, Keylabs’s easy-to-use interface improves the speed of annotation and data sets while ensuring accuracy through its QA abilities.  

“Through this partnership, we expand our data-annotation services to retail stores,” says Arie Zilberman, CEO, and founder of Keymakr. “As machine learning becomes increasingly important for virtually every industry, we aim to arm companies with the tools they need to scale data annotation and build their models efficiently and precisely.”

“Sensors and machines will provide a never-before-possible view of the physical world, and we’re proud to leverage our software to spearhead that movement that will transform every industry as we know it,” says Mark Brady, VP Commercial of SeeChange. “Our progressive approach to understanding the real world through our visual AI aligns well with Keymakr, an important partner. We can’t afford to sacrifice accuracy for volume, and Keymakr rapidly validates and annotates our huge data sets as part of our machine learning training processes.”

How machine learning can lead to better choices

Machine learning could help retailers to make better business choices based on the data that has been gathered and analyzed. Businesses can use artificial intelligence within the retail sector for security, supply chain management, accident detection, and more. Additionally, recent developments in data analytics and AI technologies make it possible for organizations to give their customers better experiences than ever before. For example, with online retail, AI chatbots can help customers get their complaints solved faster by sending them to the right customer service agent. 

Artificial intelligence can complement the retail experience for users and organizations alike. Even if AI technology is still in its early days, considerable progress is being made in the sector. As a result, it is critical for a retailer operating in the retail industry to be prepared for anything that may occur in the next few years.

In the not-too-distant future, a company's capacity to give amazing experiences to its consumers could be the decisive element in determining the store's degree of success. Moreover, because it is able to learn from interactions with customers and provide business owners with essential data on how to manage certain aspects of their operations, artificial intelligence plays an important role in the retail sector. 

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence and machine learning can improve the retail experience for customers and organizations that utilize the technology. By gathering, analyzing, and learning from real-time data, artificial intelligence can create a clear picture of what currently works and what needs improvement in a business.