Saint Mary’s University, recognized as a top Canadian university, is teaming up with some of Canada’s most influential retail companies to create one of the foremost retail laboratories on the continent. It’s all part of the ground-breaking research at SMU’s David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services.
Visitors will soon become part of a living experiment designed to transform the future of shopping and reshape the retail landscape. Students and visitors to the south end of campus will walk into a deceptively simple convenience store that is actually a cutting-edge laboratory.
The retail robot is programmed to glide through stores tracking price tags, missing items and other information, which it relays to employees.
Inside, a retail robot glides through the aisles, logging items that have run low and sending messages to the stockroom. The robot is designed for large stores where it tracks inventory on shelves and assesses planogram and price compliance, explains Ramesh Venkat, Director of the David Sobey Centre. “The robot, equipped with cameras, matches price tags to the computerized lists, checks price tags for compliance for the latest discounts, spots misplaced or missing items, generates a report and sends a real-time alert to an employee.”
And if a shopper wants to take an item home? No need to look for a cashier; there isn’t one. Instead, when you exit the store your credit or debit card is charged automatically. But wait, maybe you want to try on something before purchasing? Step in front of 3D digital screen to model clothing using virtual fitting technology.
SMU researchers are building a futuristic “frictionless customer experience” without inconveniences such as line-ups and check-outs, where customer privacy and protection of information are priorities. “We don't collect any video footage or store any credit card or debit card information. We will provide best-in-class privacy and security, which will set us apart from companies that are doing computer vision in retail environments,” adds Venkat.
The David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retailing and Services brings together university researchers and Canadian retailers to test new technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and robotics. Vivek Sood MBA’98, Executive Vice President, Related Businesses, Empire Company Limited and Sobeys Inc., and Chair of the David Sobey Centre notes, “The retail sector is one of the main drivers of Canada’s economy and an incredibly exciting place of major innovation right now. Each time I visit campus I am eager to see the advances being made by the professors and their top research students.”
Students gain hands-on experience building tech solutions for retail
The retail store and its related labs offer SMU students unparalleled opportunities for hands-on learning and collaboration. Saint Mary’s University professors and students are building leading-edge tech from scratch: computer vision systems, augmented reality and robots.
The digital lab and mock store will allow researchers to track shoppers as they interact with digital platforms, including websites and advertisements. In the biometrics lab, graduate students will use advanced tools such as EEG (Electroencephalography), eye-tracker glasses and GSR (Galvanic Skin Response) sensors to understand customer behaviour and decision-making. Faculty and student researchers from several disciplines–marketing, psychology, information systems, engineering, and computer science all benefit.
Jason Rhinelander
Engineering Professor Jason Rhinelander, Head of Technology and Innovation for the David Sobey Centre, understands that the David Sobey Centre presents him and SMU students with a huge opportunity. “Retail has so many challenges and that is key for engineers and computer scientists. We don’t invent algorithms for the sake of it. We need problems to solve.”
“We can benefit small and medium-sized Atlantic Canadian companies recovering from the pandemic and battling stressors like inflation. By placing their products in our store which acts as a ‘living lab,’ we can provide data about how customers feel about their packaging, service and overall quality. We can also test the retail environment for accessibility: lighting levels, noise levels, and colour schemes.”
Watch: Jason Rhinelander loves solving problems with technology
Vinod Bachhao
Vinod Bachhao came to SMU as a Master’s student in 2015, graduated to PhD studies and is now the university’s first AI engineer. “I could have gone to Toronto, but I love Halifax and the environment here. I grabbed the opportunity to work on the SMU robot and state-of-the-art AI and computer vision. There is nothing better than this.”
The labs, mock store and the cashier-less store all provide the infrastructure for exploring new ideas and innovations that can shape the future of Canadian retail. “The purpose of the David Sobey Centre is to develop and share innovations, expertise and skills that help build a vibrant retail sector–domestically and globally. This new infrastructure and the collaboration between researchers, retailers and technology companies vitally enable us to achieve that vision. It's really exciting,” says Venkat.