MEGA Accelerator - a look into the future. Monologues of the participants
MEGA Accelerator has recently ended - a project to search for and implement innovative ideas to improve the customer experience of MEGA, implemented by IKEA Centers Russia together with GVA LaunchGurus. Several suggested solutions are already available for testing for visitors at MEGA shopping centers, so it’s time to not only take stock. but also to talk about the prospects that new technological opportunities open up for retail.
The market of shopping centers in Russia is relatively young. Its rapid growth provides fertile ground for the emergence of such interesting projects as MEGA Accelerator - initiatives to collect revolutionary ideas and solutions for this retail segment.
The announcement of the launch of the program appeared at the end of 2015. At the same time, the acceptance of applications from teams that want to receive expert support and funding for the implementation of ambitious ideas in the field of retail and the development of shopping center infrastructure began.
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In total, almost 200 teams applied for participation in the project, each of which offered some interesting idea (having an idea and a team are two mandatory conditions for submitting an application for participation). As Milen Genchev, curator of MEGA Accelerator, noted in an interview, most of the applications contained technological innovations, which is not surprising for the start-up market.
Following the consideration of applications for the second, full-time program, designed for 3 months of active participation in the business incubator, ten teams passed.
The participants of the second stage received grants for the development of the proposed projects, as well as the opportunity to test the idea in the MEGA shopping centers. The educational component of the accelerator included several lectures every week, general seminars, as well as individual meetings with experts - employees of MEGA itself and resident companies, during which it was possible to discuss specific problems of the teams arising during the finalization of their ideas. A coach and a coach were attached to each team. All this allowed the participants to get an expert assessment of experience and to improve knowledge in certain areas.
MEGA Accelerator in a sense became the impetus for the adaptation of a variety of high-tech capabilities to the segment of commercial real estate.
For example, the Magnitogorsk company KMG LABORATORY , which presented its robot consultant as part of the project, initially focused on the search for technologies for non-contact recognition of emotions and the psychophysical state of a person from video recording.
Another interesting project - a virtual fitting room - began its development with software for fast automatic scanning of three-dimensional surfaces.
And the system of recognition and analysis of cars arriving in MEGU for the purpose of influencing the content displayed in the shopping complex began as a marketing tool.
The project of the winners of MEGA Accelerator - the technology of turning any surface into a touch screen Surfance from the team of ConArt - was also tested initially outside of retail. By the way, about her already was in a big post on Habré .
“The system that worked in the mall is the fourth iteration of Surfancy. We got rid of "childhood diseases" that are inherent in any development in principle. Surfancy works steadily at the Alsium Museum, worked flawlessly at the Sberbank stand at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum (sensory part of the “interactive coin box”). ”
More or less close to the initial course of development (among startups with whom we were able to communicate) was perhaps the path of the ChatFirst project, which was originally conceived as a designer of chat bots. For MEGA, the project was only slightly customized for helping consumers before, after and during a visit to the mall through convenient communication channels (including social networks).
Without exception, all the accelerator participants with whom we were able to talk, note that the 3-month intensive course strongly influenced their business. One helped to determine the direction of further development, another - with the positioning of the idea, and for the third MEGA Accelerator was the reason to drastically change many components of the project.
“The project has helped us understand what we really are doing and for whom. MEGA Accelerator has led us to change a lot in the project: from the technical task to the name. We have reduced the dimensions of the device by 1.5 times, changed the software, completely replaced the content and came up with a new name. Initially, we focused on creating a robot for promotions, but now we have changed positioning. Now the product is involved in creating a unique atmosphere in the mall, providing certain content. And since now we are focusing on entering the international level, the robot received a new name - Robin (the old name - Queeny - could cause negative associations when translating), ”says Kirill Kosolapov (KMG LABORATORY).
“The“ view from the side ”of the client was useful when testing the product, it was useful to understand the problems of the business and the challenges that it faces. We have changed the very principle of using our device. Now we are working on changing the software part of the product. We are developing a platform solution. I will not disclose the details, but this is a serious project. This understanding came just as part of testing the system and analyzing the metrics and reviews received, ”comments Litmanovich Andrey (Surfancy).
“We had a ready-made technology and business based on it, but clearly there was a lack of a good venture strategy that can be developed together with a major strategic partner. MEGA and MEGA Accelerator solved both these problems, ”adds Sergey Klimentyev (Texel).
“Under the strict guidance of the coach Nikolai Bobrov and the tracker Denis Gordovsky, key development directions were identified, the strategy of interaction with key customers and partners was adjusted. And the help of experts from IKEA Centers Russia expanded our worldview in the retail world, helped to identify pain points and current challenges facing experts. Nikolay's advice turned out to be the most valuable, as he already has extensive experience in the automotive industry, ”says Pavel Bozhreyev (Intelligent Solutions).
According to the participants themselves, they were able to experience the retail market from the inside, which made it possible to more intelligently think out their “world conquest” strategy.
“During our participation in MEGA Accelerator, we collected a great deal of expertise in the field of marketing, outdoor advertising and retail, and also gained extensive experience in working with the corporate culture of corporations,” comments Pavel Bozhreyev (Intelligent Solutions).
“We are ChatFirst - developers of the platform of virtual assistants, and also ChatFirstLab is a team that builds different projects on this platform. Before joining MEGA Accelerator, we already had 6 segments outlined, we call them verticals, which were studied from the point of view of the potential audience. But the retail (shopping centers such as MEGA) have not been affected. Accelerator helped us carefully study their problems and needs in order to propose a solution that will interest them, ”says Pavel Osadchuk (ChatFirst).
“First of all, participation in MEGA Accelerator gave us an understanding of the business of the target audience - the shopping center segment. We previously communicated with potential customers, but the accelerator provided a deep immersion in the workflow and mechanisms of consumer behavior, which were extremely useful to us from the point of view of marketing, as well as understanding for whom we make the product. At the same time, qualified experts helped us to deal with the business model and the patent landscape, i.e. with aspects of building an innovative business. In my opinion, this is an indicator of the high quality of the acceleration educational program, ”adds Kirill Kosolapov (KMG LABORATORY).
A number of projects that participated in the accelerator are already working in test mode in various MEGA shopping centers. True, it is too early to talk about the effectiveness of the impact on the audience (visitors).
Startups who today receive assistance from a representative of the retail market will be able to completely change the segment of shopping centers by themselves tomorrow. According to the participants of the accelerator, the project, declared the winner of the MEGA Accelerator, really has great prospects. SensArt combines a strong team and an interesting technical idea (Surfancy).
“The guys from SensArt were probably the most active of all the participants. Most of all flashed, talked with MEGA and experts, the first to launch a beautiful pilot, ”shared his impression Pavel Osadchuk (ChatFirst).
In addition, an important role can be played by the integration of solutions from different teams that met during the accelerator, which some participants told us about.
All these developing projects have a good relationship with the general course of development of the market of shopping centers, marked by the participants of the second stage of MEGA Accelerator. We asked the teams to present how market factors, as well as their technical proposals, will change retail in 10 years, and their opinion turned out to be surprisingly unanimous, with the exception of details (it can be assumed that this topic was also raised as part of the accelerator).
“In my opinion, the format of trade will change from simple consumer to some kind of pastime with the creation of additional services. In other words, the mall will cease to be a place where the consumer comes to buy something. It will turn into an entertainment platform where you can spend time, eat, in parallel - for example, try on clothes in a virtual fitting room and use other services. All this will be accompanied by the inevitable change in the format of traditional trade - the reduction of grocery hypermarkets, the development of virtual windows and all kinds of interactive services, ”says Kirill Kosolapov (KMG LABORATORY).
“In our opinion, in 10 years, the shopping center will be a high-tech place where highly intelligent systems will predict consumer behavior and offer personalized notifications about promotions that are more likely to be relevant to the buyer. This study of all the needs of buyers, and improving customer experience. Already, the shopping center combines not only a place of shopping, but also an entertaining component. The use of high technologies and the increase in service industries help to keep consumers interested in shopping centers, ”says Pavel Bozhreev (Intelligent Solutions).
“There are studies that malls are gradually becoming empty - people abandon them in favor of online shopping. And the most advanced sites began to change - they began to turn into a kind of market area, i.e. to a place where people come not only to buy, but also to mingle, eat, rest. MEGA - just such a center. Inside it is a mass of events, both for adults and for children, aimed at ensuring that people spend as much time as possible there. And in this we see the scope of our solution: we have now made a chat bot that helps to sign up for master classes at one of the residents of the mall, but in the future we want to become for retail the “entry point” through which people will know that going on inside the mall, communicating with the mall on a new, more personal level, receiving information only about those events that interest them. And our technology will make this communication not as expensive as human-to-human communication, ”comments Pavel Osadchuk (ChatFirst).
As one of the project participants noted, the development of high-tech services will ensure the creation of a unique atmosphere in the shopping center. From this point of view, investments in startups will protect shopping centers from competition from online commerce (although at the moment it cannot be called a threat).
“In my opinion, today online and offline trade do not overlap. So far, the share of the Internet in retail is not at all high, and, contrary to popular belief, it is practically not growing. Yes, there is a certain segment of consumers who really prefer the Internet. This segment will increase slightly in the future as a percentage. But people who visit the mall, go there not really shopping, but after a certain experience and impressions, which can not always be replaced by online services. Therefore, visitors from shopping centers will not disappear, i.e. e-commerce will not replace offline. But, given the growing consumer attention to products with a unique bundle, offline stores will gradually be replaced with a kind of interactive showrooms, where people can watch, touch and pick up the product they like, and then place an order using our robots, Surfancy technologies or other terminal options with delivery from a warehouse or home delivery. Those. it will be a kind of synergy of existing trade formats, ”commented Kirill Kosolapov (KMG LABORATORY).
On the financial results of MEGA Accelerator, to speak, of course, too early. However, at the idea level, this way of searching for innovations definitely gives results.
The market of shopping centers in Russia is relatively young. Its rapid growth provides fertile ground for the emergence of such interesting projects as MEGA Accelerator - initiatives to collect revolutionary ideas and solutions for this retail segment.
So, what did it look like ...
The announcement of the launch of the program appeared at the end of 2015. At the same time, the acceptance of applications from teams that want to receive expert support and funding for the implementation of ambitious ideas in the field of retail and the development of shopping center infrastructure began.
')
In total, almost 200 teams applied for participation in the project, each of which offered some interesting idea (having an idea and a team are two mandatory conditions for submitting an application for participation). As Milen Genchev, curator of MEGA Accelerator, noted in an interview, most of the applications contained technological innovations, which is not surprising for the start-up market.
Following the consideration of applications for the second, full-time program, designed for 3 months of active participation in the business incubator, ten teams passed.
The participants of the second stage received grants for the development of the proposed projects, as well as the opportunity to test the idea in the MEGA shopping centers. The educational component of the accelerator included several lectures every week, general seminars, as well as individual meetings with experts - employees of MEGA itself and resident companies, during which it was possible to discuss specific problems of the teams arising during the finalization of their ideas. A coach and a coach were attached to each team. All this allowed the participants to get an expert assessment of experience and to improve knowledge in certain areas.
“GVA, in collaboration with which MEGA Accelerator was launched, has a very good training course. The team really was able to pump in many ways. There were also foreign experts who expressed their views on how to promote the solution, attract investments, develop products and work with individual segments , ”says Pavel Osadchuk’s program ( ChatFirst is a chat bot developer, we’ll talk more about Further).
“It was a wonderful experience. The curriculum was just at the highest level. Lecturers are world-class professionals from around the world. They openly shared their experiences, and it was incredibly valuable for us. The program was extremely useful for our entire team, as the classes were in all areas of the startup development. From technology and development, patenting, formulation of value proposition and marketing, to methods of conducting negotiations and meetings. Separately, we wanted to thank Daniil Kozlov and Zamir Shukhov for organizing the program, as well as our mentor Andrei Tyan, these are certainly excellent professionals whose help is difficult to overestimate , ”adds Andrei Litmanovich (company“ SensArt ”- the developer of Surfancy technology and the winner of MEGA Accelerator).
Technology in the service of shopping centers - start-up history
MEGA Accelerator in a sense became the impetus for the adaptation of a variety of high-tech capabilities to the segment of commercial real estate.
For example, the Magnitogorsk company KMG LABORATORY , which presented its robot consultant as part of the project, initially focused on the search for technologies for non-contact recognition of emotions and the psychophysical state of a person from video recording.
“The previously developed technical rather complex things were not in demand. The market turned out to need a simpler robot assistant on a mobile platform, able to recognize faces and speech. The robot can function as a telepresence platform and even automatically maintain a conversation with the client (it all depends on the required quality of the dialogue). In the retail segment, content capable of creating a unique atmosphere plays a significant role , ”says Kirill Kosolapov (KMG LABORATORY).
Another interesting project - a virtual fitting room - began its development with software for fast automatic scanning of three-dimensional surfaces.
“We started with the development of a software and hardware complex for the automatic, most accurate scanning of large objects. This solution has a number of applications in various fields. In particular, the main cash flow until recently was provided by the sale of a business franchise for scanning people and printing three-dimensional figures as gifts and souvenirs for family and corporate events. All key technological aspects - directly 3D-scanning, receiving a cloud of points, triangulation, etc. - we have already worked at an early stage. And MEGA Accelerator helped us test in retail one of the promising service options based on this technology - virtual fitting rooms. Now we have one of the world's largest bases of 3D-models of people, to which we gradually add digital templates, allowing us to demonstrate to consumers exactly how this or that thing will look on their figure. And this direction is a priority for us. Thus, thanks to the accelerator, we launched and worked out a new direction in practice , ”says Sergey Klimentiev ( Texel , developer of a virtual fitting room).
And the system of recognition and analysis of cars arriving in MEGU for the purpose of influencing the content displayed in the shopping complex began as a marketing tool.
“We were engaged in the development of the idea of ​​recognizing cars for marketing purposes, connecting in one service not only ours, but also third-party components (which for one reason or another could not play the role of a complete solution). In fact, due to the merging of video surveillance and advertising business, we have created an analogue of the Yandex.Direct service for highways. Implementation of similar ideas has already been implemented in England, Australia and the USA. The result was a wide publicity in the media, a non-standard and creative approach to the implementation of advertising campaigns, which undoubtedly attracted more consumer attention. Participation in MEGA Accelerator allowed us to expand the horizons of technology application. As a result, we modified the product to the needs of retail, formed a value proposition and began implementing the first pilot project in Russia in the MEGI Khimki parking. The main idea is to segment visitors of the shopping center by car, and to know exactly which audience is in the shopping center at a particular point in time. Having this information, the administration of the center can change the content of Digital Signage screens, displaying only the information relevant to visitors , ”explains Pavel Bozhreyev ( Intelligent Solutions ).
The project of the winners of MEGA Accelerator - the technology of turning any surface into a touch screen Surfance from the team of ConArt - was also tested initially outside of retail. By the way, about her already was in a big post on Habré .
“The system that worked in the mall is the fourth iteration of Surfancy. We got rid of "childhood diseases" that are inherent in any development in principle. Surfancy works steadily at the Alsium Museum, worked flawlessly at the Sberbank stand at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum (sensory part of the “interactive coin box”). ”
As for the version presented in MEGA Surfancy, Litmanovich Andrey (Surfancy) complements:
“The work continues, it is planned to conduct a number of pilot projects in shopping centers with their further commercial use. We are now at the stage of signing an exclusive agreement on the commercial introduction of our product. There is also parallel work with digital agencies, because the system has been run in well and interactive installations can be built on its basis not only in sales, but also in entertainment and education. So we see excellent prospects . ”
More or less close to the initial course of development (among startups with whom we were able to communicate) was perhaps the path of the ChatFirst project, which was originally conceived as a designer of chat bots. For MEGA, the project was only slightly customized for helping consumers before, after and during a visit to the mall through convenient communication channels (including social networks).
“On our platform, we developed a Mall Assistant , which tells visitors about planned events, promotions and events. Such contact with visitors in social networks is carried out now, but not so quickly. We offer faster and less expensive communication , ”says Pavel Osadchuk (ChatFirst).
MEGA Accelerator - Steroids for a startup
Without exception, all the accelerator participants with whom we were able to talk, note that the 3-month intensive course strongly influenced their business. One helped to determine the direction of further development, another - with the positioning of the idea, and for the third MEGA Accelerator was the reason to drastically change many components of the project.
“The project has helped us understand what we really are doing and for whom. MEGA Accelerator has led us to change a lot in the project: from the technical task to the name. We have reduced the dimensions of the device by 1.5 times, changed the software, completely replaced the content and came up with a new name. Initially, we focused on creating a robot for promotions, but now we have changed positioning. Now the product is involved in creating a unique atmosphere in the mall, providing certain content. And since now we are focusing on entering the international level, the robot received a new name - Robin (the old name - Queeny - could cause negative associations when translating), ”says Kirill Kosolapov (KMG LABORATORY).
“The“ view from the side ”of the client was useful when testing the product, it was useful to understand the problems of the business and the challenges that it faces. We have changed the very principle of using our device. Now we are working on changing the software part of the product. We are developing a platform solution. I will not disclose the details, but this is a serious project. This understanding came just as part of testing the system and analyzing the metrics and reviews received, ”comments Litmanovich Andrey (Surfancy).
“We had a ready-made technology and business based on it, but clearly there was a lack of a good venture strategy that can be developed together with a major strategic partner. MEGA and MEGA Accelerator solved both these problems, ”adds Sergey Klimentyev (Texel).
“Under the strict guidance of the coach Nikolai Bobrov and the tracker Denis Gordovsky, key development directions were identified, the strategy of interaction with key customers and partners was adjusted. And the help of experts from IKEA Centers Russia expanded our worldview in the retail world, helped to identify pain points and current challenges facing experts. Nikolay's advice turned out to be the most valuable, as he already has extensive experience in the automotive industry, ”says Pavel Bozhreyev (Intelligent Solutions).
According to the participants themselves, they were able to experience the retail market from the inside, which made it possible to more intelligently think out their “world conquest” strategy.
“During our participation in MEGA Accelerator, we collected a great deal of expertise in the field of marketing, outdoor advertising and retail, and also gained extensive experience in working with the corporate culture of corporations,” comments Pavel Bozhreyev (Intelligent Solutions).
“We are ChatFirst - developers of the platform of virtual assistants, and also ChatFirstLab is a team that builds different projects on this platform. Before joining MEGA Accelerator, we already had 6 segments outlined, we call them verticals, which were studied from the point of view of the potential audience. But the retail (shopping centers such as MEGA) have not been affected. Accelerator helped us carefully study their problems and needs in order to propose a solution that will interest them, ”says Pavel Osadchuk (ChatFirst).
“First of all, participation in MEGA Accelerator gave us an understanding of the business of the target audience - the shopping center segment. We previously communicated with potential customers, but the accelerator provided a deep immersion in the workflow and mechanisms of consumer behavior, which were extremely useful to us from the point of view of marketing, as well as understanding for whom we make the product. At the same time, qualified experts helped us to deal with the business model and the patent landscape, i.e. with aspects of building an innovative business. In my opinion, this is an indicator of the high quality of the acceleration educational program, ”adds Kirill Kosolapov (KMG LABORATORY).
A number of projects that participated in the accelerator are already working in test mode in various MEGA shopping centers. True, it is too early to talk about the effectiveness of the impact on the audience (visitors).
And what will happen tomorrow?
Startups who today receive assistance from a representative of the retail market will be able to completely change the segment of shopping centers by themselves tomorrow. According to the participants of the accelerator, the project, declared the winner of the MEGA Accelerator, really has great prospects. SensArt combines a strong team and an interesting technical idea (Surfancy).
“The guys from SensArt were probably the most active of all the participants. Most of all flashed, talked with MEGA and experts, the first to launch a beautiful pilot, ”shared his impression Pavel Osadchuk (ChatFirst).
In addition, an important role can be played by the integration of solutions from different teams that met during the accelerator, which some participants told us about.
All these developing projects have a good relationship with the general course of development of the market of shopping centers, marked by the participants of the second stage of MEGA Accelerator. We asked the teams to present how market factors, as well as their technical proposals, will change retail in 10 years, and their opinion turned out to be surprisingly unanimous, with the exception of details (it can be assumed that this topic was also raised as part of the accelerator).
“In my opinion, the format of trade will change from simple consumer to some kind of pastime with the creation of additional services. In other words, the mall will cease to be a place where the consumer comes to buy something. It will turn into an entertainment platform where you can spend time, eat, in parallel - for example, try on clothes in a virtual fitting room and use other services. All this will be accompanied by the inevitable change in the format of traditional trade - the reduction of grocery hypermarkets, the development of virtual windows and all kinds of interactive services, ”says Kirill Kosolapov (KMG LABORATORY).
“In our opinion, in 10 years, the shopping center will be a high-tech place where highly intelligent systems will predict consumer behavior and offer personalized notifications about promotions that are more likely to be relevant to the buyer. This study of all the needs of buyers, and improving customer experience. Already, the shopping center combines not only a place of shopping, but also an entertaining component. The use of high technologies and the increase in service industries help to keep consumers interested in shopping centers, ”says Pavel Bozhreev (Intelligent Solutions).
“There are studies that malls are gradually becoming empty - people abandon them in favor of online shopping. And the most advanced sites began to change - they began to turn into a kind of market area, i.e. to a place where people come not only to buy, but also to mingle, eat, rest. MEGA - just such a center. Inside it is a mass of events, both for adults and for children, aimed at ensuring that people spend as much time as possible there. And in this we see the scope of our solution: we have now made a chat bot that helps to sign up for master classes at one of the residents of the mall, but in the future we want to become for retail the “entry point” through which people will know that going on inside the mall, communicating with the mall on a new, more personal level, receiving information only about those events that interest them. And our technology will make this communication not as expensive as human-to-human communication, ”comments Pavel Osadchuk (ChatFirst).
As one of the project participants noted, the development of high-tech services will ensure the creation of a unique atmosphere in the shopping center. From this point of view, investments in startups will protect shopping centers from competition from online commerce (although at the moment it cannot be called a threat).
“In my opinion, today online and offline trade do not overlap. So far, the share of the Internet in retail is not at all high, and, contrary to popular belief, it is practically not growing. Yes, there is a certain segment of consumers who really prefer the Internet. This segment will increase slightly in the future as a percentage. But people who visit the mall, go there not really shopping, but after a certain experience and impressions, which can not always be replaced by online services. Therefore, visitors from shopping centers will not disappear, i.e. e-commerce will not replace offline. But, given the growing consumer attention to products with a unique bundle, offline stores will gradually be replaced with a kind of interactive showrooms, where people can watch, touch and pick up the product they like, and then place an order using our robots, Surfancy technologies or other terminal options with delivery from a warehouse or home delivery. Those. it will be a kind of synergy of existing trade formats, ”commented Kirill Kosolapov (KMG LABORATORY).
On the financial results of MEGA Accelerator, to speak, of course, too early. However, at the idea level, this way of searching for innovations definitely gives results.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/277549/
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