Future belongs to the retailers who can invest, offer and convince their customers of availability of safe/sanitized goods and safe/sanitized store environment. Post Covid era demands high degree of carefulness both on part of retailers and customers/buyers.

Each human (including staff) entering the store is checked for contagious, infectious and communicable infections/diseases, by an automated non-invasive testing device, and is sanitized at the entry gate. Only disease free humans are allowed inside the store. No pets are allowed inside the store.

Similarly all the goods entering the stores are disinfected by a sanitation tunnel.

The store offers free masks and hand gloves before I enter.

As I enter the shop I notice exceptionally clean and fresh air inside. High quality anti-virus/microbial filters are installed to clean the air in this store. The store maintains positive air pressure inside, to prevent outside air from coming into the store.

I make my way into Health and Well Being section of the store. There are more number of different goods in the shelves. Today’s customer has more choices than earlier. Most of the items are simply for display, consumer information and confirming a purchase decision only. Actual stock (for delivery) of the products is in the automated warehouse.

Each shelf is equipped with far-UVC led sanitization lights, installed above the displayed item. I prefer not to pick up any item from the shelves, though I am allowed and free to pickup and examine the goods, if I want to. When I put them back, the far-UVC light installed in the shelf will disinfect them. Each purchase/delivery is sensed and confirmed by a sensor pod. Each sensor pod contains a display, a microphone for voice recognition, a finger print sensor, a camera for facial recognition and video recording, retinal scan sensor (capable of sensing from a distance), a QR code and a RF-id. The sensor pod may or may not contain a small touch screen, for manually entry of customer id code and quantity. A purchase or delivery is confirmed with any two biometric (finger print, facial recognition, retinal scan) matching or QR code input or a onetime unique code transfer between my mobile and the sensor pod RF-id. The display is used for providing complete product information (including its QR code), price, purchase confirmation with quantity, purchaser information, delivery destination etc. depending on where the pod is installed in the store and its equipment. Apart from facial recognition, the camera also records the entire product selection and purchase process. The deaf and mute people can use sign language instead of verbal command. The sign language is recognized by the camera and its associated algorithm.

For making an automatic purchase a customer has to give its biometric data including voice sample to the store’s computer. This one time information is saved in store’s computers. Each item has a pod, attached to the shelf, which displays the entire information about the product and guides a purchase by the customer.

The customer needs to go in front of the product or any advertisement, look at it, and is guided by the displayed menu to say “select”, quantity (number of pieces he wants to buy) and “purchase”. His biometric data confirms his presence and voice command data confirms selection, quantity and purchase decision. Payment is made automatically from customer’s account, to the store once the customer says “purchase”.

I prefer to scan the QR code, and enter quantities of the goods, I want to buy, on my mobile app., make payment and keep on walking.

I enter the fitness section. The maximum sale here if of full body exerciser which can be kept in a small section of house, tread mill, exercise bike. People are trying out different equipment and learning the correct way to use before buying them. I can also see elderly people trying out treadmill. The sales staff is competent to give them a demonstration.

Then I go into the nutrition section. Some drinks/foods/supplements are available for free sampling/tasting in single use, non-sharable, micro-packs. Many people are tasting different foods/drinks. They also have the option of buying combo packs as per their needs.

There is more space and many means of advertising. I can find electronic displays, posters, 3D-holograms, images, sculpture etc. advertising one item or the other. Many advertisements are about currently running movies in the theatres. I liked the 3d-holograms.

All advertisements have a QR code of the item being advertised. I do not have to go to the shelf of that particular item to buy it. I scan the QR code and select two items from the advertisements, without looking at the items physically.

I can see a few kids playing in the baby care section with electronic toys. Each toy is sanitized by far-UVC led light. In another corner a toy was being sanitized by far- UVC light. There are many parents here with their babies buying electronic baby care items. Fastest moving item is electronic baby rocker and walker.

I walk into the BEAUTY care section. Most of the goods are made from bio-degradable, organic and safe for humans, materials. people prefer to test before they buy, The customer can test a sanitized demo device and decide what to buy. The store sells facial exfoliator, body massager, electric shavers, face cleaner, vibrators, sonic facial devices, ultrasonic face massager etc. body massagers and shaver are the fastest selling items.

I can see a couple of mobile-robotic-sweepers and robotic-vacuum-cleaners working. These devices work round the clock. All mobile robots are programmed to avoid colliding with humans.

When a robotic-waste-bin is full, it sends a signal and another one rolls in and takes its place. The filled robotic-waste-bin simply rolls off and discards its goods in a safe and specific place behind the store, to be picked up later by a robotic-waste-collector-cum-disposal-truck. The robotic-waste-bin goes for cleaning, sanitization and charging, at a station. It is ready for rolling off to a new location after charging. I find these robotic-waste-bins everywhere in the store. The station has ports for cleaning, sanitizing and charging all other mobile robots (like robotic-cart) and devices being used in the store.

Once I finish buying, I walk towards the exit. There are no payment/checkout counters and minimal staff in the store. I press deliver button on the app. and choose my delivery options. I can get the purchased goods delivered to my vehicle or to my house.

Some of the stores also have “automatic delivery windows” installed outside its exit gate. The customer simply has to go in front of the, establish his identity by his preferred choice to open the window and pickup his purchase.

Behind the scene, robots quickly collect (pick and place), all the purchased (and pre-sanitized) items, from the shelves of the warehouse. The items are packed (in cardboard boxes or heat shrink packing and disinfected by the robots. Direct-store-purchased-goods are sent as per customer’s choice.

The packing is given my name marking and sent to my vehicle parking spot, in a “robotic shopping cart” (e.g. https://5elementsrobotics.com/dash-robotic-shopping-cart/). As I walk towards my vehicle, the “robotic-shopping-cart” also reaches my parking spot. I collect the packing, put them in my vehicle and acknowledge receipt on the app. I pay for the parking automatically using the app. and leave. After I receive the goods, the “robotic shopping cart” goes back. The cart is automatically sanitized, charged and readied for next use.

I also have an option to get the goods delivered to my home, instead of my carrying them. After buying, I simply have to change the delivery option to “automatic delivery by drone” or “automatic delivery by unmanned truck”. The store will send my items to my house (at my convenience) by drone or a robotic-delivery-truck vehicle.

Bigger and heavier goods (like refrigerator, TV, tread mill, etc.) are delivered directly to customer’s vehicle by an robotic-fork-lift or to his residence by robotic-heavy-goods-delivery-truck.

I enjoyed a safe trip to a retail store. I got to see a lot of things, some of which were new to me. Also I got all the (safe) items for my house, untouched by human hands.

I prefer to go to a store, look at all the items and enjoy the ambience and experience. It is always a refreshing experience. One of the biggest advantage of new system is, reduced store thefts and no queues at the payment counter (as there is no payment counter). In fact, there are no queues anywhere.

Also, shelves do not have to display/carry large quantities of same item and the customer does not need to pick up/carry goods. More space is available to display more number of different items. It gives every manufacturer/company a fair chance to display their goods to the potential customers. The customers are also happy as they have more/wider choices.

Everything revolves around the customer’s safety, choice and convenience. That’s the power of automation and AI. The future is bright and full of fun.

Nothing can replace the fun and enjoyment of walking into a big retail shop, looking at all the available choices, reading labels, looking at packaging, analyzing and then buying goods. It’s a beautiful and colorful world of exciting, new goods.