T-Systems and Wirecard target retailers with IoT-enabled shelf

retail

T-Systems and electronic payments company Wirecard are showcasing a solution that will use the IoT to simplify the customer retail experience.

The new solution allows customers to check in when entering a shop using their smartphone or tablet.

When the user picks up a product from a shelf, the IoT-enabled shelf will recognise the buyer and the product they have taken.

Then, when the customer leaves the shop, they automatically check out, completing the payment process.

The connectivity of the shelf can also present the customer with personalised digital offers on their device.

The two companies began working together on the digitisation of payment and purchasing processes in the retail sector last April. Products already offered through the partnership include the ConnectedPOS system, which aggregates retailers’ data from their stores.

The companies did not give details on when the new solution would come to market.

Dirk Rumler, Vice President Center of Excellence Retail at T-Systems said: “The Internet of Things will enable consumers to shop in a virtual environment and then receive real objects delivered to their door. We are convinced that merchants must get to grips with the technology now in order to remain competitive in the long term.”

Alexander Hahn, Vice President POS Retail Solutions at Wirecard added: “In terms of the payment process itself, it is crucial that it fades into the background: it is all about automated processes which enable a customer to make cross-channel payments seamlessly – no matter where they are – for instance, by using fingerprint recognition technology or to authenticate a password. The technology for the future of shopping is already here.”

The concept is similar to Amazon’s corner store in Seattle, Amazon Go, which allows customers to pick up groceries and automatically be billed through their Amazon Prime account.

According to ABI Research, contextually-aware IoT endpoints in retail will be one driver of growth in the number of IoT devices through to 2021.