The retail industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by technology, environmental sustainability, regulatory reforms, and risk mitigation, and the growing importance of technologies such as customer service robotics, robotic inventory management, voice commerce, and smart checkout. In the last three years alone, there have been over 156,000 patents filed and granted in the retail industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Artificial intelligence in retail: autonomous delivery vehicle navigation. Buy the report here.
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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
50+ innovations will shape the retail industry
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According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the retail industry using innovation intensity models built on over 115,000 patents, there are 50+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, cosmetics recommenders, 3D garment modeling, and in-store theft monitoring are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. In-store product recognition, personalized recommendation AI, and smart checkout are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas is automated object recognition, which is now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for artificial intelligence in the retail industry
Autonomous delivery vehicle navigation system is a key innovation area in artificial intelligence
An autonomous delivery vehicle navigation system works with the help of a global positioning system (GPS). Several GPS satellites provide real-time geographical data to figure out the latitude, longitude, speed, and course for the delivery vehicle to navigate.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 70+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established retail companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of autonomous delivery vehicle navigation system.
Key players in autonomous delivery vehicle navigation system – a disruptive innovation in the retail industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to autonomous delivery vehicle navigation system
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
Gogoro is the leading patent filer in autonomous delivery vehicle navigation system. Some other key patent filers in the autonomous delivery vehicle navigation system space include Nuro, Cox Enterprises, and Toyota Motor. Recently, Gogoro launched its Smartscooters and battery-swapping technology in Israel. After its initial launch in Tel Aviv, the company plans to expand to other Israeli cities as well.
In terms of application diversity, Gogoro leads the pack, while Optimum and Cox Enterprises stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Nuro held the top position, followed by Cox Enterprises and Haystack Technologies.
Autonomous delivery vehicle navigation system will potentially become an important aspect in the retail industry. With retail companies increasingly focusing on automation, autonomous delivery vehicle navigation system will gain popularity.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the retail industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Retail and Apparel.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
