The service chosen for this assignment is named Frame Styler. Frame Styler is the product of Specsavers company; it uses facial analysis technology to scan a customer’s face and suggest the best fitting glasses based on face shape and features (Specsavers, 2018). The service is considered innovative as it fits the definition of product innovation. According to OECD (2005, para. 156), “a product innovation is the introduction of a good or service that is new or significantly improved with respect to its characteristics or intended uses.” Face recognition technology used in Specsaver’s product is not new; such technologies have been around for decades. However, it could be argued that in the case of Frame Styler, the technology has been significantly improved and adapted for its intended uses. This is the case, as such a use of facial recognition technology has not been practiced on a mass scale before.
There is a different perspective on product innovation as well. According to Law (2009, para. 191), product innovation is “any new approach to designing, producing, or marketing goods or services that creates value and gives the innovating company an advantage over competitors.” In that context, Frame Styler represents a new approach to marketing goods and services for the clients of Specsavers.
Time-saving is the additional value that the product creates for the customers – now they do not have to try on potentially hundreds of products to find the best fitting one. This technology has the potential to give Specsavers company an advantage over its competitors as additional value created by the technology can attract more customers and therefore boost the sales and recognition of the company. Thus, independently of the approach, the chosen service can be viewed as an innovative one.
Regarding the challenges, the product does not seem to have many commercial issues after it is already developed. Therefore, two main challenges linked to the product include its development and the subsequent logistics of delivery and implementation of the technology in all brand stores. The development of the product is divided into two main parts: hardware and software development. Hardware challenges include the choice of appropriate configuration, the choice of data scanning, and edge devices. Software challenges include finding relevant data to train the system, adjustment of the system to regional demographics, and tuning the speed of image retrieval.
In case the company is not able to perform the mentioned tasks on its own, any part of the process can be outsourced to specialists in the field. Such companies as Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon already actively promote their ready-made solutions in the facial recognition field; those can be used as a basis for product development. It is possible to purchase both hardware and software solutions from one company to implement the project.
Regarding the delivery and implementation of the technology, it is necessary to supply the chosen hardware to all of the company’s brand stores and install it there. The delivery process can be outsourced to companies specializing in such activities and does not pose much of a problem overall. Installment can be done in cooperation with the company from which the technology itself was purchased. However, it is necessary to train the current staff of brand stores to be able to work with the technology and solve the minor issues that can arise in use. This will guarantee a better user experience for the company’s customers and increase the efficiency of the subsequent marketing company.
Reference List
Law, J. (2009) A dictionary of business and management. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
OECD (2005) The measurement of scientific and technological activities: Guidelines for collecting and interpreting innovation data. Web.
Specsavers (2018) Specsavers launches exclusive Frame Styler technology. Web.