4 ms·

I love the idea of QueueHop. Pretty simple idea that shouldn't be too expensive and should save stores lots of money and people a bit of time.

by myroon5 11y ago

skewart 11y ago
I'm not sure if it will save stores money or not. A lot of stores don't want it to be too easy to check out and leave. Getting to the cashier and waiting in line increases the chances that you'll make another purchase. Stores focused more on high volume convenience-driven purchasesprobably think about things differently though, and maybe they'd be more interested in something like this. Maybe the bigger possibility is that it allows stores to present and sell their goods in afar more decentralized way that gets them closer to where consumers are. If on-demand workers, or drones, could restock inventory, and shoppers just needed an app to make purchases, then shopping malls could disolve into the surrounding cityscape.
- durga 11y ago
  Just like how google's predecessors were not keen on search relevance so that users didn't find what they were searching for quickly - leading to them spending more time on the website and increasing ad revenue. We know where that logic led those companies to ;-)
  - tim333 11y ago
    There is a similar no queue technology in the UK. It's been quite successful. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/11472142/How-I-stole-my-shopping-from-Waitrose.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/11472142/Ho...
  - blackskad 11y ago
    IKEA, on the other hand, designed their stores specifically to keep customers inside as long as possible. If you don't know the shortcuts (or don't notice them), you have to wander through the whole showroom & marketplace. And just about everyone leaves with more than what they initially planned.
    - mziel 11y ago
      It only works once. My usual response to such practices is to not return to the store again (and probably buy online). They lose in the long run.
      - sumedh 11y ago
        Maybe it does not work on you but it works with vast number of people.
- giarc 11y ago
  I think you might be right. When I picture a clothing store, the queue in front of the cash registers are lined with small, impulse purchase items (belts, underwear, socks, necklaces) that are easy to grab while waiting.
beambot 11y ago
Loss prevention using this tech is tough, especially since it's trivial to defeat UHF RFID tags' detectability -- on purpose or by accident, by placing the tags against your body (fundamentally different from EAS). Plus, the things you're most-keen to track (high-value items) are also the most likely to contain metal; metal mucks w/ RF propagation and energy harvesting, and therefore requires special (more-expensive) tags. This idea dates back to the early days of UHF RFID... it didn't work back then, and not much has changed in the technical fundamentals that would make me think it has suddenly become possible. There are some new uses cases in retail... but they revolve around new (non-checkout) business plans. I would LOVE nothing more than to be proven wrong... so I hope they find a way to make it work! (I happen to be an expert in this field... happy to talk more, as it's still a major interest area.)
- tim333 11y ago
  I wonder if they have something innovative there. Their RFID guy seems quite serious - https://angel.co/yilin-huang https://angel.co/yilin-huang

I love the idea of QueueHop. Pretty simple idea that shouldn't be too expensive and should save stores lots of money and people a bit of time.

by myroon5 11y ago

I love the idea of QueueHop. Pretty simple idea that shouldn't be too expensive and should save stores lots of money and people a bit of time.

skewart 11y ago

I'm not sure if it will save stores money or not. A lot of stores don't want it to be too easy to check out and leave. Getting to the cashier and waiting in line increases the chances that you'll make another purchase. Stores focused more on high volume convenience-driven purchasesprobably think about things differently though, and maybe they'd be more interested in something like this. Maybe the bigger possibility is that it allows stores to present and sell their goods in afar more decentralized way that gets them closer to where consumers are. If on-demand workers, or drones, could restock inventory, and shoppers just needed an app to make purchases, then shopping malls could disolve into the surrounding cityscape.

durga 11y ago
Just like how google's predecessors were not keen on search relevance so that users didn't find what they were searching for quickly - leading to them spending more time on the website and increasing ad revenue. We know where that logic led those companies to ;-)
- tim333 11y ago
  There is a similar no queue technology in the UK. It's been quite successful. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/11472142/How-I-stole-my-shopping-from-Waitrose.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/11472142/Ho...
- blackskad 11y ago
  IKEA, on the other hand, designed their stores specifically to keep customers inside as long as possible. If you don't know the shortcuts (or don't notice them), you have to wander through the whole showroom & marketplace. And just about everyone leaves with more than what they initially planned.
  - mziel 11y ago
    It only works once. My usual response to such practices is to not return to the store again (and probably buy online). They lose in the long run.
    - sumedh 11y ago
      Maybe it does not work on you but it works with vast number of people.
giarc 11y ago
I think you might be right. When I picture a clothing store, the queue in front of the cash registers are lined with small, impulse purchase items (belts, underwear, socks, necklaces) that are easy to grab while waiting.

beambot 11y ago

Loss prevention using this tech is tough, especially since it's trivial to defeat UHF RFID tags' detectability -- on purpose or by accident, by placing the tags against your body (fundamentally different from EAS). Plus, the things you're most-keen to track (high-value items) are also the most likely to contain metal; metal mucks w/ RF propagation and energy harvesting, and therefore requires special (more-expensive) tags. This idea dates back to the early days of UHF RFID... it didn't work back then, and not much has changed in the technical fundamentals that would make me think it has suddenly become possible. There are some new uses cases in retail... but they revolve around new (non-checkout) business plans. I would LOVE nothing more than to be proven wrong... so I hope they find a way to make it work! (I happen to be an expert in this field... happy to talk more, as it's still a major interest area.)

tim333 11y ago
I wonder if they have something innovative there. Their RFID guy seems quite serious - https://angel.co/yilin-huang https://angel.co/yilin-huang