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Standing in a room that looks more convenience store than lab, researcher Mohamed Dekhil waves a handheld computer across a product label. Instantly, the screen displays the item’s price, as well as product features, comparisons with similar products, ratings and reviews from other shoppers, coupons and lots more – information that online shoppers take for granted.

“It’s like doing Google or Yahoo in the store – only more because the experience is more personalised,” says Dekhil, a research manager at HP Labs.

This scenario is only one possible application of a concept Dekhil and team call the Retail Store Assistant. The integrated system of in-store kiosks, mobile devices, customised print-outs and at-home computer access is aimed at helping shoppers overcome the frustrations of in-store buying by tightening the information feedback loop between shopper, retailer and manufacturer.

The Retail Store Assistant concept eliminates common frustrations faced by shoppers – difficulty finding a product, uninformed salespeople, forgetting shopping-list items – while introducing the most attractive features of online shopping, such as quick price comparisons, personalised recommendations, and instant access to product information and reviews.

For example, shoppers could create a shopping list online on the store’s Web site using any computer, update it with a voice message from their mobile device and swipe a loyalty card at an in-store kiosk to get a printout of that shopping list. That printout might include personalised offers for products on the list or related products, suggestions for using them – such as recipes or do-it-yourself advice – and a map that shows exactly where in the store to find the items.

Shoppers could also use the kiosks to browse product ideas or scan barcodes to get product specifications, pricing, special offers and third-party reviews. For those who prefer the human touch, sales people become instant product experts by simply carrying a handheld computer.

The system can also help provide visibility into customer behaviour. Every time a customer clicks on a link or product at the kiosk, retailers can use the information to create a personalised sales campaign, perhaps by offering a preferred customer coupon or flagging a rebate. Participating manufacturers might also use customer-buying patterns to make direct, on-the-spot offers.

HP customers don’t have to wait for the future to experience the benefits of this research. Many of the technologies featured in the Retail Store Assistant prototype are already used in HP retail products today.

• HP Associate Mobility solution lets sales associates provide customers with timely product information right on the retail floor by allowing them access to a wireless network.
• PC-based Point-of-Sale system has automated reporting and tracking capabilities so managers can see which products are selling and when.
• Retail Marketing Automation Systems integrate marketing communications processes into a single system, so creating customised promotions and collaborating with key vendors is easy and efficient.

All of these technologies build on the same idea: that creating an easier, more personalised in-store experience for shoppers is a bottom-line factor in retail success.