PURCHASING PATHS OPTIMIZER

The goal of this project was to create a way to test the arrangement of shelves in goods in a store with the aim to increase sales. Transferring this into VR made it very easy to collect the necessary data and optimize the layout.

Client

NDA

Sector

Retail Analytics

FMCG

Services

Database

Visualisations

Technology

Oculus Rift

Unity 3D

Challenge

Make goods well placed for a boost in sales

The client asked us to develop an application the main goal of which was to increase sales through proper arrangement of shelves and goods. However, testing such solutions “in vivo” in real stores would not be the best idea, to say the least, as it could even result in a loss of customers.

That is why the shopping paths had to be transferred to a different realm – that of virtual reality. This, in turn, made it possible to collect all the data required for the optimization activities we were expected to complete.

Process and project scope

Scope

The extensive database that the client provided us with made it possible to optimize the purchasing path of a customer. Now the client can freely change the layout of shelves and goods so that the customers will intuitively find given products, or put selected goods in the areas most frequently visited by customers. Our solution is a combination of these two technologies – virtual reality where it is possible to simulate various processes and data processing per se.

Process

Due to the complexity of the project and the need to combine different programming languages to perform various activities, we decided that it would be most beneficial to act on the basis of the so-called extreme programming. The client’s Product Backlog turned out to be very helpful, for it contained “user stories” created by the client, which greatly facilitated the implementation of appropriate solutions on our part.

Service

Data was the most important element of the entire project. Without it, no optimization processes would make any sense. That is why the client provided us with access to a database containing data gathered from sensors installed on shopping carts.

Collaboration

Applications in which we deal with large amounts of data require a lot of commitment from both parties. An important element is always what the client really wants to know, which determines the types of data that would allow them to improve their activities and increase sales as well as customer engagement. That is why frequent meetings with the client, during which we considered various possibilities and methods of data collection, were crucial here.

Business value

Mapping and optimizing shelf space

The client received a basic software tool for 3D retail space mapping, data-driven purchasing path optimization and sales revenue increase. The tool we implemented enabled the client to visualize retail space and localized consumer behavior data in order to drive optimizations in layout design and purchasing paths.

In short, the benefits include:

optimizations of purchasing paths
an increase in sales
full utilization of the database for a better understanding of customer needs

Technology stack

Data on display

The type of solution we developed here can be called visualization of databases. The entire experience was prepared in Unity 3D and is intended to operate on Oculus Rift devices.