Intelligent Pointer Unit to Speed Up the Shelf Replenishment Process in Retail Stores

Shelf replenishment is a repetitive, manually executed, and time-consuming task in retail. This paper addresses this issue with an intelligent pointer unit that helps staff reduce the orientation time for small and similar products in the shelf replenishment process. The user wears a ring scanner to scan an article or its box, whereon the pointer unit illuminates the target shelf position received from a digital store model. A comprehensive evaluation extracts the performance of the pointer unit within two user groups. The results show a reduction of the orientation time of 88.5% for beginners, respectively 75% for experienced staff members. Furthermore, accounting for the times needed for handling and alignment, a reduction of the overall search time of 71.5% for beginners, respectively 22.5% for experienced staff members, has been achieved.