Automated In-Home Shopping & Delivery: What Will the Future Bring?

With the increasing ubiquity of connected kitchens, Internet-enabled refrigerators, and a myriad of other smart home elements, it appears the future may soon include automated in-home shopping and delivery—and the possibilities are truly amazing. The market is expected to reach over $75 billion in the next five years, and it is easy to see why. Consumers are increasingly shopping online, and services like Amazon, Instacart, and Mealpal offer automatic deliveries straight to their doors. Now, imagine if you could order groceries, prepared meals, cleaning supplies, and more to be delivered efficiently and automatically right to your home—no more waiting in long lines on busy days and no more searching for the items you need all the time.

Today, more and more people are turning to automated in-home shopping and delivery to simplify shopping and free up more time for other matters. From ordering food delivery to selecting groceries to stocking up on essential items, these services can help you save time, money, and stress. What’s more, you can schedule recurring deliveries for those products you need on a regular basis and have them arrive to you whenever you please.

Given these advantages, it is no surprise that enterprises have begun to tap into this growing market. Automated in-home shopping and delivery services offer enticements such as discounts, coupons, and subscription plans to bring customers into the fold. Companies like Walmart, Amazon, and Costco have all begun offering automated in-home shopping and delivery services that make life more convenient and affordable for customers.

The next step in this trend may be a technology-driven shopping service that makes shopping from home almost effortless. The idea is to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision into the process so that consumers can simply scan items in their refrigerator and cabinets, and automatically generate a shopping list through voice commands. AI could even remember common staples and replenish them when they get low. The future looks bright, with potential to further improve the automated in-home shopping and delivery process in a variety of ways.

For example, safeguards could be built into the automated in-home shopping and delivery process to make sure that orders are accurate. Many companies are already using mobile cameras to verify order contents, but AI and computer vision could go further to enhance the accuracy of the order and even make suggestions about items that customers may want to purchase.

In addition, automated in-home shopping and delivery systems could be made to be more engaging. Companies could make use of voice assistants and gamification to make ordering products more fun and personalized for individual customers. Graphic displays, projectors, and even robots could also be used to bring to life a truly interactive shopping experience in the customer’s home.

Finally, as the technology around autonomous vehicles continues to improve, we may eventually see grocery delivery robots making their way around our neighborhoods. These delivery robots might use AI to navigate around obstacles and worries of theft. They could even be used to pick up and deliver hot meals to customers.

Overall, automated in-home shopping and delivery promises to revolutionize the supermarket concept and bring immense convenience and savings to consumers. AI, computer vision, and autonomous vehicles are just a few of the technologies that may be incorporated into the automated in-home shopping and delivery process to make the service smarter, more efficient, and more engaging. Not only that, but automated in-home shopping and delivery could help reduce waste and provide fresher, healthier foods to customers, making it a win-win for everyone involved. The future of in-home shopping and delivery is certainly something to watch out for.