Kirsten Overton

Hi Kirsten,
Great read! I still find to this day that grocery stores are having a difficult time keeping the shelves stocked. I was at the grocery store this morning and couldn’t get a few items on my list because they were out of stock – very frustrating!

I think the smart shelves and temperature-adjusting freezers and fridges are very cool! I hope to see them in grocery stores near me soon. From an inventory standpoint, I really think this innovation can be a win-win for the retailer and consumer.

As of right now, I can’t recall any grocery or retail stores that I go to implementing IoT but I’ll have to pay closer attention on my next trip!

Hi Kirsten,
I remember this time last year when there was any food on the shelves at the supermarket. There was also absolutely no toilet paper which to this day I still wonder why everybody was stocking up so much on paper.
I think smart shelves and temperature adjusting freezers would change things for the better for grocery stores. I am tired of going to the ice cream aisle and having my ice cream too cold for me to even touch.

I don’t think there.is any grocery stores I go to now that implement IoT technology. However, they should consider it right away!

Kirsten,
I really liked your article because most of the time I have read about IoT and grocery stores is how they work with delivery apps. I did not even know that weighing smart scales and temperature adjusting freezers and fridges existed. I think these smart devices, specifically the shelves, will be extremely beneficial to supermarkets as they will help them understand when supply is running low and when to restocks are needed.
As for seeing IoT in real-life supermarkets, my local Giant has a Marty robot that roams the aisles and finds spills and messes to clean up. That is about as high-tech as my local supermarket gets. I definitely think this is a huge market for the IoT to disrupt and think it will find a good spot to latch on in supermarkets.

Hi Kristen,

Would love for there to be a day when IoT is fully integrated into all of our grocery stores. I know Amazon has been working on a grocery store similar to what you described with smart shelves and smart carts, eliminating the need for checkout all together. The smart carts and smart shelves both detect what you are buying and add it to your “digital cart.” Once you are finished shopping, Amazon charges your grocery bill to your Prime account, saving you the time of checking out. Not only does this help us a consumers, it is very cost effective for Amazon as well.

Kristen, thank you for this post.
I was researching smart home appliances as well, and I am super excited about this innovation. With technologies like IoT and Artificial Intelligence, it is possible to digitize homes and make everyday devices smarter. And why not?
However, it feels a little strange during the last decade., as customers, we’re still learning how to be safe while shopping online and how much to socialize on social media, and within the next few years, we will see a fully digitalized home.
To answer your question, in my opinion, the privacy of data might not be the biggest concern at least in the context of this innovation. The most significant barrier could be technological fragmentation within the digitally connected home ecosystem. Interoperability will be the key to making the smart home a reality and transforming the landscape of connected consumer products.

Hey Kristin,
This article gave me some Space Odyssey vibes, where we’re closer to having a HAL 9000 in our homes. There are perks to having this innovation implemented to our home appliance since it would make it easier to maintain these appliances when they start to break down. However, I think about how privacy is shrinking each day with new apps and technologies constantly collecting information. From personal experience, I cannot plug in my google home because some of my friends don’t want Google to listen to them because they work in cyber security and that would be consider as a data breach. If we think about how more people are working from home from their own personal internet than their job’s, we might see these companies feeling wary of their data security being compromised from employee’s smart appliances. Hopefully, there might more laws or discussions in the future that might cope with Big Data.

Hi Kristen, great post! I think this is another great example as to how AI is gradually taking over aspects of everyday life. Ten years ago, who would’ve ever thought that smart appliances such as refrigerators, laundry units, etc., would become a part of people’s daily routines. Echoing Arpana’s comment, I think it’s only a matter of time before we transition into a predominantly digital way of life. You make some very valid points as to what this could mean for consumers and, particularly, how it pertains to data privacy. As much as people try to protect their data by resisting certain innovations, it’s inevitable that eventually old tech will become outdated as more and more people pivot towards what’s new and promising; if not out of convenience, then out of necessity. In that case, not all customers may be willing to trade privacy for convenience, but they may feel obligated to in order to adapt to the modern world. It’s an interesting concept to think about.

Interesting read Kirsten.

I for one am extremely for big data and to answer a couple of your questions, would not mind the usage of AI in my house to keep me informed about items in my fridge, their freshness, the amounts I have, etc. I believe it could be a useful tool that could keep me up to date in my kitchen. I definitely worry about the price of these appliances but as for the scrutiny behind big data, it does not bother me. Although a monitor screen on a fridge would definitely taking some getting used to.

I believe the connection between technology, data, and everyday household items is inevitable, and our generation will make it more normal and comfortable for those who are not as tech savvy.

Lululemon have become as flexible to the market like their yoga pants. I have never been one to favor athleisure or lululemon, but the article did put them in a new light for me because they are focusing on the emotional needs of having of their product than just appearance. This campaign also opens a larger demographic of folks to buy their product since they are catering to different body types than one certain customer type like other athleisure market towards. For many clothing companies, they tend to focus on one type of consumer and bend their marketing strategies around them, but Lululemon have decided to flow with the general consumer demand after the quarantine.