After reading more about the business side of curbside pickup, I saw an opportunity to improve the customer’s experience when they first arrive at the grocery store. To improve the customer experience, I propose the concept of having “smart” parking spots and curbside personal assistants. The thought is that a smart parking spot could light up to help direct customers to open parking spots when they first enter the curbside pickup area, thereby helping minimize potential traffic issues surrounding the parking area. Once the car has parking in the spot, the “smart” parking spot would communicate with an in-car app that would notify the store of which customer was in which spot and when they arrived. Then, on a screen next to the spot, would be a customer’s personal assistant, an AI who would ask questions of the customer (like where would you like your groceries placed in your car, would you like to speak with an associate, etc.) to better improve their pickup experience by making it personalized to their wants and needs.
Takeaways:
- Positives – Helps organize the curbside pickup area and provides a more customized experience for each customer.
- Negatives – It would require grocery stores to invest in installing the spots and the screens, which might be a costly investment for one department of a store.
