We’re teaming up to explore computer vision and AI applications for retail.

Go Studio believes in the importance of collaboration when trying to solve complex business problems. So, when presented with a gift card display challenge impacting our retail partners, we followed our credo and brought in a collaborator who thinks outside the box.

Fortunately for our assignment, we have a trusted and talented partner in Kennesaw State University (KSU) located just outside of metro Atlanta. Go Studio engaged their College of Computing and Software Engineering (CCSE) faculty to launch a 3-year research project, which will begin with the development of a comprehensive solution for retail planogram (POG) studies. The goal is to create a solution that will use computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to analyze consumer interactions with retail gift card displays, providing insights into optimal product placement, shopping behavior, and potential theft deterrents.

For those who are not in the know, you may be asking: what the heck is computer vision? And why bring in KSU to explore it? We went right to the top and asked these questions to Michael Parlotto, VP of Emerging Technologies and head of Go Studio at InComm Payments.

“Computer vision is a type of AI that uses algorithms to copy human visual recognition,” said Parlotto. “KSU is uniquely qualified to help us with our challenge. They have outstanding technical access and skills, including a new AI discipline that Go Studio hopes to learn from, as well.” He added that the CCSE has more than 20 faculty doing research in AI and that KSU’s new Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSAI) degree is just the second program of its kind in Georgia.

What does all that have to do with retail studies? We want to explore how computer vision solutions can analyze the way consumers interact with a gift card shopping display. These findings may reveal eye-opening data as they search for a desired card, and most importantly, how a display should be arranged to create a satisfactory shopping experience.

It sounds straightforward, but there is much work to be done. The technical aspect of the project will involve KSU developing a comprehensive system that integrates hardware and software components. The hardware components include a high-tech camera and mounting mechanism, plus a data transfer framework. The software components include training computer vision algorithms to track shopper movements, as well as tools for analyzing the collected data to generate insights on customer behavior, product placement, and emotional responses.

Our teams at Go Studio and InComm Payments come into play by lending our considerable POG experience and retail expertise to the research project, enlisting Financial Services product teams and Merchandising teams when needed to collaborate. To test their prototype, the KSU team will assemble focus groups, document their findings, and submit a final project report with recommendations for future improvements.

Go Studio and KSU are no strangers to collaboration. We have a near 4-year alliance on various emerging tech ventures. Parlotto noted that “Go Studio has been working with KSU on capstone projects since Fall 2020 with our first AI project. We have sponsored 9 capstone programs since.” KSU is also an active supporter of the Georgia FinTech Academy, a successful in-state organization that we regularly work with to help foster future generations of FinTech professionals.

All this ties into one of our organizational pillars here at Go Studio: community engagement, which includes educating people on emerging technologies and the use cases for them. “Our work with the university systems aligns with that pillar and is a key focus of our work,” Parlotto stated. “This three-year research partnership is another example of that, and we are excited to collaborate with KSU.”

Combing resources for this POG project is a win-win for both participants. The collaboration helps Go Studio develop a usable computer vision/AI solution, delivering actionable research which could inform product and merchandizing improvements. And it enables KSU students to apply their classroom learning to a real-world FinTech challenge, ideating alongside experts from a major FinTech company. It’s a match made for innovation.

To learn more about collaborating with Go Studio, contact us today.