Towards the counter free store: requirements for mobile sales assistants

Ubiquitous assistants in retail environments can be useful not only for customers but also for salespersons by supporting their work. Providing product and customer information anywhere in the store, is the first step on realizing the vision of the counter free store. To ensure both, usefulness and acceptance of ubiquitous sales assistants, this paper describes in a first step user requirements towards mobile assistants generated in two focus groups with customers and salespersons. We present the identified requirements (e.g., aspects of sales processes, spatial situations, tool mediated cooperation, and information transparency) and discuss how ubiquitous technology should support the high situatedness of the sales situation.