AI DRIVEN RETAIL EXCELLENCE: Optimizing customer experience and efficiency in physical stores

Instore AI Assistant

This project aims to demonstrate how a digital AI assistant can be optimally used by both employees and customers to facilitate and support the selection process in the physical store in order to reduce the workload of employees and increase the shopping experience for the customer. This project aims to tackle the knowledge gap, and therefore also the unused positive impact of the use of AI, among Flemish SMEs in the retail sector, which will also reduce the workload on retail employees. This will be achieved by providing and deploying a framework that allows technology providers to easily deploy a Dutch-language, digital AI assistant on a physical screen in a store.

Two target groups are considered: (1) retail entrepreneurs who have little to no access to R&D, have a wide product range which leads to choice stress among customers, and (2) technology providers, whether or not already active in the retail sector, with digital solutions but with a lack of an AI component.

Concrete objectives and criteria

1. Developing basic technological building blocks for a Dutch-language, digital AI assistant that can be consulted via a physical screen in a store so that technology providers and retail entrepreneurs can implement and personalize their own AI assistant.

2. Setting up 3 to 5 inspiration cases (living labs) with associated business cases in which the framework of the

digital AI assistant will be practically implemented at 3 to 5 retail entrepreneurs from the support group in collaboration with technology providers from the support group.

3. Developing 2 online learning packages (MOOCs) with accompanying scripts and 9 physical workshops for the retail sector and technology providers so that both target groups can work optimally with the digital AI assistant.