Using UWB/BLE technology to reduce customer stress and minimize store operations
TOKYO, June 13, 2024 – (JCN Newswire) – JCB (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takayoshi Futae; hereinafter “JCB”) and iMago (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Hisashi Kamio; hereinafter “iMago”) have launched the “Chikazuite-Check” project to provide a new shopping experience using UWB (Ultra Wide Band) and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), and have developed a prototype. As part of this concept, we have created an app for iPhone and Apple Watch that works with UWB/BLE, together with a reference model of the store cash register system, and have started user testing.
iPhone and Apple Watch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions.
The Background of This Project
Today, for various reasons such as the diversifying cashless payment methods, the rise of various point services, the spread of membership card apps and digital coupons, and companies’ environmental policies, more and more things require customers to make choices and show their intentions when paying at the checkout. This has led to an increase in verbal confirmation with store staff, making the checkout experience more complicated, and causing problems due to misunderstandings and miscommunications.
A survey* conducted by JCB and iMago last year on Generation Z/α (current junior high and high school students) and Generation Z (university students and working adults in their 20s) found that this increasing complexity of the shopping experience causes great stress for young people, and also causes problems for shop staff, increasing the burden of cashier work and customer service.
(*This survey was conducted by the iQ Lab, a think tank established by iMago in Kyushu University, with the cooperation of Wayo Kudan Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo, etc).
JCB and iMago have launched the “Chikazuite-Check” project and developed a prototype as a solution to the complicated purchasing experience that young people find so frustrating, using UWB/BLE communication technology and smartphone apps.
Overview of “Chikazuite-Check”
“Chikazuite-Check” is a single-stop solution for your shopping experience. You can pre-register the details that will be asked at the checkout counter, such as payment methods, the ownership of point cards, age verification for alcohol and tobacco purchases, and whether or not you want a plastic bag, as “check items” on your smartphone app.
At the store, the smartphone app and the store’s cash register device communicate using UWB/BLE, and the information pre-set on the app is automatically sent to the store’s cash register device without the customer needing to take out or use their smartphone. The cash register device’s screen for the staff displays the customer’s pre-set check details, so the customer and staff can make their purchases smoothly without verbal confirmation. The customer side screen is a touch panel, and the preset check details can be changed in real time immediately .
As various confirmation tasks that have been done in stores until today will be automated, it will prevent misunderstandings and miscommunications, and create a shopping environment where customers can comfortably shop and store staff can relax. Furthermore, the smartphone app for customers and the store cash register screen that store staff check are both available in multiple languages, creating a system that can reduce the communication costs due to the increase in both foreign customers and store staff.
The benefits of “Chikazuite-Check”
We assume that the benefits of “Chikazuite-Check” are as follows for customers and merchants.
Customer
- You can skip the checkout process, such as checking cashless payment, point services, and whether you need plastic bags, cutlery, etc.
- By registering a digital ID, you can verify your age and identification in one stop when necessary.
- Reducing stress by dramatically shortening the time spent at the checkout.
Partner Retail
- Improvement in checkout speed by eliminating the need for troublesome verbal confirmation, such as checking payment methods and whether or not a customer has a point card.
- Reducing in-store trouble and claims by preventing misunderstandings and mishearing.
- By eliminating the need for confirmation at the checkout and making the UI multilingual, helping foreign staff who are not fluent in Japanese. Expanding the recruitment of staff.
- Expand the possibilities of new digital CRM using customer flow and payment methods.
Future Prospects
JCB and iMago are planning to conduct a demonstration experiment in a real store based on the reference model developed this time. In addition, user surveys and pilot tests in an actual environment close to commercialization are planned at iQ Lab, the think tank of iMago, which is based at Kyushu University. With support from schools such as Wayo Kudan Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo, keep on improving the UX model by identifying issues and aim for early commercialization and social implementation as the next generation of shopping experience.
Status of patent applications for this project
With a view to the future expansion of cashless payments, JCB is currently applying for multiple patents based on its investigation into the feasibility of models that could provide solutions to these issues, with the belief that models that improve the customer payment experience and provide added value in stores will become more important. (Patent Application 2024-28470, Patent Application 2024-47813, etc.)
About JCB
JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes about 49 million merchants around the world. JCB Cards are now issued mainly in Asian countries and territories, with more than 158 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase its merchant coverage and cardmember base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to providing responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.global.jcb/en/
Contact
Kosuke Ochiai
Corporate Communications
Tel: +81-3-5778-8353
Email: jcb-pr@info.jcb.co.jp
About iMago Co., ltd
iMago is a consulting firm that supports the formulation of business strategies focused on “the next market and the next society” based on the research and analysis of latest technology and the younger generation, as well as planning new businesses and designing user experiences. Skilled at “designing and developing new businesses, trends, and user experiences” by technically analyzing the deep psychology and behavioral models of young people to develop strategies.
iMago has established a comprehensive partnership and cooperation system with Kyushu University, a national university in Japan, and has established iQ Lab, a think tank division based at the university. At iQ Lab, young researchers, engineers and designers under the age of 30 play a central role in conducting research and studies into new business areas, UX design, and everything from software and hardware prototype development to the operation of large-scale proof-of-concept experiments.
Contact
Hisashi Kamio
CEO
Tel: +81-3-6452-8847
Email: iQLab@imago.co.jp
About Wayo Kudan Junior and Senior High School
The traditional girls’ school that was established 125 years ago. The school motto is “Think Globally, Act Locally” (with foresight and intelligence, acquire the ability to respond to an unpredictable future, and quietly wait for it to happen). Since 2016, the school has been working on school reform and promoting 21st century-style education. In recent years, the school has launched the “Connected School” concept, and is developing education that will enable students to acquire the skills they need to shape their own futures, by collaborating not only within the school but also with a wide range of external organizations.