Tuned to the frequency of shopping

In Hungarian retail more and more stores use equipment that performs the job of human workforce. Germany company Wincor and Hungarian IT specialists already developed everything the store of the future requires, from the intelligent basket to mobile payment. – We offer systems that help to serve customers better at a lower cost. Store Vision programme compiles all these efforts – says Karl-Heinz Stiller, Wincor Nixdorf’s president-CEO.
The RFID (radio frequency identification) chip plays a key role in their solutions; these chips are expected to replace barcode technology in the near future. RFID technology has major advantages in receiving products, refilling shelves, serving and informing customers and paying. When the buyer takes a product with an RFID chip from the shelf, the store’s central system receives information about this. Digital displays give information about the product.
When the customer pays there is no need to take the product out of the basket, the cash register receives the signs sent by the product’s RFID chip and prepares the receipt automatically. Several retail chains are already testing RFID identification and besides the advantages it must also be mentioned that these chips are very easily damaged. On shopping trolleys computers – Personal Sales Assistants – are mounted, which welcome shoppers, display product information, inform shoppers about promotions, find products in the store and calculate the amount to be paid. Wireless radio frequency technology is also used for electronic shelf labelling, which helps retailers to change information about the products on the shelf from the central system, with the push of a button. For recycling waste, especially returned bottles, retailers need special equipment which automatises the process, saving money and time for retailers. Precise information about returned bottles is of utmost importance, therefore the best devices identify bottles according to five criteria. The machine compares data with data in the central database and decides whether to receive the bottle or not; if yes, it prints a receipt that can be used when paying at the cash register. Bottle return machines can be bought for HUF 1.5-2 million. One of the distributors is Multistore Kft., they sell 100 machines a year; managing director Gábor Gács told our magazine that they also install and programme the machines.