Intel is setting up a laboratory with Chinese ecommerce giant JD.com to explore the use of IoT in smart retail applications.
 
The Digitized Retail Joint Lab will develop vending machines, media and advertising products, and technologies to be used in the stores of the future, based on Intel architecture.
 
The lab marks the extension of the existing partnership between Intel and China’s largest retailer. So far, scientists have successfully merged Intel’s RRI edge computing and Open Vino computer vision architecture with JD’s computer vision algorithms to analyse customer traffic and in-store purchasing habits. This helps store owners provide a more personalised and convenient experience to their customers.
 
“This lab will combine our collective strengths to develop cutting-edge solutions to bring the precision of online shopping to offline players,” said Zhi Weng, vice president of JD.com. “We look forward to expanding our cooperation with Intel to deliver a best-in-class, personalised shopping experience wherever consumers shop.”
 
The lab adds to JD.com’s vision of retail as a service, or sharing its technology and infrastructure with other retailers and industries. Other efforts include a suite of technology upgrades for brick-and-mortar store owners, including smart shelving, smart price tags and checkouts. By helping smaller retailers modernise their operations, JD hopes to give all consumers’ access to quality products, and to buy whatever they want, whenever and wherever they want it.
 
“As China’s most influential retailer and a leader in data-driven offline retail innovation, JD is an important partner for us to continue to develop a wide range of use cases for our latest technology developments,” said Wei Chen, vice president of Intel. “We are happy to take our partnership to the next level.”
 
By leveraging JD’s big data analysis capabilities and Intel’s edge computing technologies, the companies plan to build a more sophisticated retail ecosystem and enable the wider commercialisation of new products and technologies as well as facilitate their introduction to global markets.