Ramblings from an Automation Mad Man ( A Blog Series)
By Jerry Maldonado - VP of Automation, Customer Lifecycle Solutions
The world as we know it is changing at an amazing rate. I mean let’s look at shopping a mere five years ago. If we jump into our time machine we can see the masses around the holidays at the mall looking for bargains at Sears or some other large department store. Shoppers would spend hours in traffic and maneuver in near death misses that would put an aircraft controller in the ER just to get to the store and later find out that the product they want is no longer in stock. Other mishaps can also include waiting an hour in line to pay for the product and the moment you get to the register they ran out of carbon receipts for the credit card machine. Or maybe your in-store experience goes well but when you get home you realize that this thing needs batteries or some other attachment to function correctly. If it is a big ticket item, of course arranging shipping or pick up from the warehouse is another hassle.
In the old days, systems were scattered, inventory were in three locations,and just in time ordering was not even a whisper. Whatever was in the stores were all you got. The phone was the only way to check if a store had anything you wanted and your credit card information was not tied to the transaction data so if you lost your receipt well, good luck on the return. All in all the process required to move from deciding on a product or service to purchase and take home could take hours if not days.
Today, shopping is a totally different beast. Yes, folks still go out in masses to stores and stuff, but now a ton of folks do their shopping from the comfort of their couches , or as I did at 36,000 feet somewhere over North America over my mobile device. Online shopping customizes your experience by providing automated web pages that guides you through the product details and pictures. An automated search lets you compare prices faster by listing out which retailer is selling the product at the cheapest price that includes the shipping cost.
Fast and easy checkouts make online shopping a breeze. You can literally click your way to automatic payments that will instantly pull money out of your account. There’s also a series of processes to adjudicated your credit card, verify your identity, your credit limit, and confirm if you are not delinquent on your payments. This process then allows you to order your gift through a large online retailer and automatically updates your shipping address and confirm a shipping date. Finally after payment is complete, you’ll receive a text to when the item has ship, is in transit, and delivered to your door step.
Now that’s shopping done the right way!
The ability to complete a purchase in a mere 35 seconds or less (That was my best time. Your time may vary as I had to ponder if this the right gift) is amazing. We live in a world where the mobile device holds a ton of purchasing power. Amazon reported that for the 2014 holiday season, 60% of items purchased were made from mobile devices. This trend would likely increase with the introduction of mobile payments like Apple pay.
Being able to automate the delivery chain is a crucial part of this new world. The ability to tie multiple systems and vendors into one streamline process that will consider security and all the bells and whistles is key to success. Imagine a mere 5 years from today, in-store shopping will mirror its online experience. For example, say you want the new Samsung TV film for the wall, you know the bendable peel and stick TV in sizes measured in feet. You walk into the store, and a virtual assistant comes to your guide. You review the TV, ask the assistant some questions, and finally decide that this is the one. You scan your eye and finger to confirm payment and walk to the front of the store to await your package.
Leave your wallet at home.
That would be an experience, wouldn’t it?
Follow the ramblings of an Automation Mad Man every Wednesday. Did you miss last week's post? Read it here: Let's Chat Health & Fitness in the IoT