Portuguese retailer Sonae MC has introduced a technology-driven product placement solution at its Continente hypermarket in Matosinhos, according to local daily Publico.
Shopview2Market leverages 'computer-vision' technology for retailers who want to gain a competitive edge in product placement auditing.
Developed by a consortium consisting of Wedo Technologies, the Fraunhofer Portugal Institute and Sonae Center Services, the prototype relies on a driveable platform which photographs shelves, recognises the positioning of products, evaluates their placement and reports errors in aisles.
All of this information, which was collected manually in the past, is sent to the store manager, who can quickly coordinate the replacement of missing products or correct other reported problems.
Over €460,000 has so far been invested in the project, which is co-funded by the EU (through the Compete 2020 programme).
The publication said that the first recipients of Shopview2Market will be Sonae MC’s hypermarkets, but the intention is to promote the adoption of the technology by other national and international retailers. With this goal in mind, Sonae MC will soon present the system in Austria, in the Spar distribution chain.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
