A case study in information delivery to mass retail markets

Abstract

The growth in the capabilities of hand-held computers coupled with improvements in database systems and communication infrastructure have brought us closer to enabling truly ubiquitous access to information. In this paper, we describe the SmartPad system, a software solution in the consumer space, providing consumers with ubiquitous access to interactive shopping. This solution enables end-users to shop remotely using personalized content, searching and selecting in incremental mode and disconnected from the network. This is achieved by combining in-store and on-line transactions, by leveraging current efforts in data mining, and by delivering information through hand-held devices. SmartPad is currently used by several hundred consumers with very encouraging initial feedback.