Visual Identification Technology (VIT).
What is it?
The basic idea is this: "cameras and supporting software can be used to
identify products in the same way a bar code or RFID tag might be used
today. VIT systems identify products based on their image
characteristic, and/or potentially specific markings."
Application?
1. Manage "planogram compliance" in retail stores. The camera-equipment robot can move around retail shelves and capture
what the correct planogram looks like, and then at
whatever frequency the merchant wants the robot re-travels the aisles
looking for variances from that plan that are then communicated to store
managers or others for correction.
2. Improve speed and accuracy of conveyer systems in supply chain using "Imager" scanners. In high speed, in-line applications such as a conveyor system,
proponents of imaging technology say read rates can be much higher than
traditional laser scanners, reducing problems from no reads.
3. Alert store personnel about stock-outs on shelves in stores. Regular cameras already installed in stores can be connected to the software that allows for constant monitoring of inventory levels.
4. Track the level of effectiveness of customer service provided by employees. "There are already systems that can tell if a specific individual, for
example, interacted with a store associate and then whether that same
person went through a POS lane for a purchase."
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