The international retail information service "Planet Retail" has awarded the Innovation Award 2008 to the real,- Future Store in Tönisvorst (near Krefeld). The jury highlighted the "Mobile Shopping Assistant" (MEA) as being a particularly innovative application on the market. The MEA is a self-scanning solution for customers, in respect of which Pironet NDH has a significant involvement in the development and implementation.
The MEA is an application for mobile phones. Using the autofocus camera on the mobile phone, customers can scan the barcode on products and view the price. In addition, cashless payment and other services - such as updating shopping lists - are possible. The Mobile Shopping Assistant was developed in close cooperation with Future Store initiative partners such as T-Systems and ETH Zurich.
With the MEA, Pironet NDH is responsible for the self-scanning server, its integration into the system environment and providing the equipment with the required information from inventory control. Item master data, price information and product images from the databases of the METRO Group are combined with one another and stored on the device in a format which can be interpreted by mobile phones.
"We are very happy that Planet Retail has awarded our real,- Future Store this year's innovation prize", says Dr. Gerd Wolfram, Managing Director of MGI METRO Group Information Technology GmbH. "One of the biggest challenges when developing and implementing innovative concepts such as the Mobile Shopping Assistant is integrating all the information required from our system. As a long-standing member of the METRO Group Future Store Initiative, Pironet NDH is a proven partner whose expertise and software solutions have provided us with crucial support."
Jochen Sutterer, Sales Director Retail at Pironet NDH, adds: "The Mobile Shopping Assistant is a good example of an innovation which retailers can use to provide their customers with specific value added services in support of a particular shopping experience. The key to the success of such developments is consistent data and their integration along the various supply chain processes. Our Product Information Management solution ensures quality-assured data and information that retailers can use in combination with increased process efficiency to implement further innovations for an improved sales approach and more service."
The Pironet NDH portfolio includes, among other things, Product Information Management solutions that allow item master data and product data to be combined from several sources and used along the process chain between the manufacturer and the retailer. A key role in this is played by the data pool of its subsidiary company, SA2 Worldsync, which is used worldwide by about 2,700 companies for the exchange of item master data.
About the METRO Group Future Store Initiative
The METRO Group Future Store Initiative has set itself the target of driving forward the modernisation process of the retail sector and developing practicable concepts for the shopping of tomorrow. More than 90 partners from the IT and consumer goods industry, the service sector and the world of science are united in the association. The central platform of the METRO Group Future Store Initiative is the real,- Future Store in Tönisvorst. In the self-service store of the future, the partners test new technologies and concepts under real conditions and develop them until they can be marketed.
Further information can be found at: http://www.future-store.org
The MEA is an application for mobile phones. Using the autofocus camera on the mobile phone, customers can scan the barcode on products and view the price. In addition, cashless payment and other services - such as updating shopping lists - are possible. The Mobile Shopping Assistant was developed in close cooperation with Future Store initiative partners such as T-Systems and ETH Zurich.
With the MEA, Pironet NDH is responsible for the self-scanning server, its integration into the system environment and providing the equipment with the required information from inventory control. Item master data, price information and product images from the databases of the METRO Group are combined with one another and stored on the device in a format which can be interpreted by mobile phones.
"We are very happy that Planet Retail has awarded our real,- Future Store this year's innovation prize", says Dr. Gerd Wolfram, Managing Director of MGI METRO Group Information Technology GmbH. "One of the biggest challenges when developing and implementing innovative concepts such as the Mobile Shopping Assistant is integrating all the information required from our system. As a long-standing member of the METRO Group Future Store Initiative, Pironet NDH is a proven partner whose expertise and software solutions have provided us with crucial support."
Jochen Sutterer, Sales Director Retail at Pironet NDH, adds: "The Mobile Shopping Assistant is a good example of an innovation which retailers can use to provide their customers with specific value added services in support of a particular shopping experience. The key to the success of such developments is consistent data and their integration along the various supply chain processes. Our Product Information Management solution ensures quality-assured data and information that retailers can use in combination with increased process efficiency to implement further innovations for an improved sales approach and more service."
The Pironet NDH portfolio includes, among other things, Product Information Management solutions that allow item master data and product data to be combined from several sources and used along the process chain between the manufacturer and the retailer. A key role in this is played by the data pool of its subsidiary company, SA2 Worldsync, which is used worldwide by about 2,700 companies for the exchange of item master data.
About the METRO Group Future Store Initiative
The METRO Group Future Store Initiative has set itself the target of driving forward the modernisation process of the retail sector and developing practicable concepts for the shopping of tomorrow. More than 90 partners from the IT and consumer goods industry, the service sector and the world of science are united in the association. The central platform of the METRO Group Future Store Initiative is the real,- Future Store in Tönisvorst. In the self-service store of the future, the partners test new technologies and concepts under real conditions and develop them until they can be marketed.
Further information can be found at: http://www.future-store.org
