Fast Company has a story about a new Samsung refrigerator being unveiled at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that "lets users shop for groceries from the kitchen.
"The new appliance, called the Family Hub Refrigerator, has a 21.5-inch touch screen on its front, from which family members can shop for products at various grocery stores and have them delivered to the home.
The refrigerator has cameras on the inside that take a photo every time the door is closed. This, Samsung says, lets users know what items need to be reordered.
"Users can also see that view from an app on their mobile device, and pre-order food items needed for a meal they’ll prepare later when they get home."
In addition, Samsung has partnered with MasterCard for payment services, and is working with MyWebGrocer, FreshDirect, and ShopRite to provide online grocery ordering.
“Since launch, FreshDirect has been on a mission to get consumers great, fresh food with less friction,” Jodi Kahn, FreshDirect's Chief Consumer Officer, said in a prepared statement. “This new technology speaks directly to that mission, giving consumers a new, seamless way to shop for groceries right from their own kitchen.”
“Commerce-enabled devices like the Family Hub refrigerator represent an unprecedented opportunity for our customers because it puts them right where the consumer path to purchase begins: in the kitchen,” added Eric Healy, president of MyWebGrocer. “We look forward to leveraging the open, API-centric capabilities of our Digital Experience Platform to advance our partnership with MasterCard and enable grocers and CPG brands to capitalize on the way in which the IoT revolution will transform the grocery shopping experience.”
Full disclosure: MyWebGrocer is a longtime and valued MNB sponsor.
"The new appliance, called the Family Hub Refrigerator, has a 21.5-inch touch screen on its front, from which family members can shop for products at various grocery stores and have them delivered to the home.
The refrigerator has cameras on the inside that take a photo every time the door is closed. This, Samsung says, lets users know what items need to be reordered.
"Users can also see that view from an app on their mobile device, and pre-order food items needed for a meal they’ll prepare later when they get home."
In addition, Samsung has partnered with MasterCard for payment services, and is working with MyWebGrocer, FreshDirect, and ShopRite to provide online grocery ordering.
“Since launch, FreshDirect has been on a mission to get consumers great, fresh food with less friction,” Jodi Kahn, FreshDirect's Chief Consumer Officer, said in a prepared statement. “This new technology speaks directly to that mission, giving consumers a new, seamless way to shop for groceries right from their own kitchen.”
“Commerce-enabled devices like the Family Hub refrigerator represent an unprecedented opportunity for our customers because it puts them right where the consumer path to purchase begins: in the kitchen,” added Eric Healy, president of MyWebGrocer. “We look forward to leveraging the open, API-centric capabilities of our Digital Experience Platform to advance our partnership with MasterCard and enable grocers and CPG brands to capitalize on the way in which the IoT revolution will transform the grocery shopping experience.”
Full disclosure: MyWebGrocer is a longtime and valued MNB sponsor.
- KC's View:
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Innovations along these lines have been much discussed over the years, and it only is a matter of time before dreams and reality met in such a way that products like these could become mainstream. Without a doubt, we're pretty much there ... products like the Family Hub refrigerator or Amazon's Echo are putting us right in the middle of what could turn out to be a pretty remarkable time. And retailers have to be prepared to embrace this revolution, which almost certainly will unfold faster than anyone expects.
Interestingly, Ford and Amazon announced at CES that they are working on an initiative "granting Ford owners unprecedented access to their connected-home devices from their cars, and vice versa."writes that "the idea is that a Ford automobile owner will soon be able to use the vehicle's Sync Connect system to use touch or voice commands to open a garage door, check a thermostat setting or turn on home lighting. While at home, that owner could ask a Ford smartphone app what the car's remaining driving range is or even program a time to start the engine."
We had a story yesterday noting that consumers may not be as ready for all this connectivity as industry thinks they are. But I think that when it comes to adapting to and adopting technology, consumers often are way ahead of where we think they are.
