Wal-Mart is testing a new digital watermark concept for faster scan times
by June 26, 2015 11:56 am 197 views
Time is money and Wal-Mart Stores is testing new technology that could speed up the checkout process in its stores by as much as 50%, also helping the retailer with its customer service ratings.
CEO Doug McMillon revealed this week via an Instagram post that inside the retailer’s 415-C lab “our associates are working on some incredible innovations. Technologies like invisible watermarking could transform the way our customers check out.”
The new invisible barcode technology is done through digital watermarking from Digimarc, an Oregon-based technology firm.
The technology allows scanner to immediately read from as many as 200 invisible codes all over a box of cereal, according to Digimarc CEO Bruce Davis who was recently interviewed by The Oregonian.
The new invisible codes would replace the conventional barcode technology with one code per package, often on the bottom which takes time for the scanner to pick up and slows the checkout process.
"It's a big deal going fast," Davis said. "We're confident we can cause everyone to go a lot faster."
Digimarc was careful to say that Wal-Mart is still testing the concept. This is something to watch for suppliers who would have to adapt packaging.
At the National Retail Federation's Annual Convention and Expo in 2014, Digimarc broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to scan 50 items, according to a YouTube video.