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Lush, the cosmetics store, is making shopping easier and faster by using artificial intelligence (AI) from Google Cloud.
They have added a special camera system to their checkout tills (cash registers) that can quickly recognize products, even those without packaging or barcodes.
- Instead of typing in product names or searching for barcodes, staff can now hold up any Lush product to a camera at the till. The AI instantly recognizes the item and adds it to your bill.
- The system uses a huge collection of over half a million product photos stored in Google Cloud. This helps the AI know exactly what each product is, even if it looks similar to others.
- This technology started as a feature in the Lush Lens app, which lets customers scan products with their phones to learn more about them. Now, it’s built right into the store’s checkout system2.
- Before, staff had to memorize hundreds of products or look them up, which took time. Now, checkout is much quicker, and lines move faster, especially during busy times like Christmas
- New employees can learn the system faster because they don’t have to memorize every product.
T - he AI helps make sure the right product is scanned, so there are fewer errors in billing and inventory.
- Staff don’t need to do as many in-store product demonstrations, which saves water and reduces waste
Google Cloud stores all the product images safely and makes them easy for the AI to use.
Google’s Vertex AI platform helps train the system to get better at recognizing products over time
Right now, this new checkout system is in Lush stores in the UK and Ireland, but the company plans to bring it to more countries soon.
In summary, Lush and Google Cloud are using AI to make shopping faster, easier, and more eco-friendly by letting computers recognize products at the checkout, so you spend less time in line and staff have an easier job.
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