Digital migration of daily routines – a contactless society

In the coming “contactless society” people are enabled by ICT technologies to interact with others without in-person connection or contact. Although extending its coverage further recently, contactless was in fact a mainstream idea from a while ago. We need to understand that contactless is a trend selected by us to stay connected rather than be disconnected and isolated. Exposed to risks and anxieties, we choose to be “contactless” for the sake of a safer and more convenient contact, which does not negate the needs of interaction with others. “Contactless” is not only changing the way we consume, but also the way our industries and businesses operate, how we meet our daily life needs, socially interact, and maintain our community.

 

 

Viral outbreak gives unexpected boost to contactless businesses

JD.com (Jīngdōng shāngchéng), an online shopping mall of China, launched an autonomous robot-enabled delivery service in Wuhan City, China from February, 2020. The autonomous delivery robots deployed by JD.com are programmed to travel about 600m back and forth to deliver goods making minimum contact with human beings. Delivering goods, the robots also collect urban map and traffic data. JD.com has turned the viral outbreak crisis into an opportunity   to test its autonomous delivery robots. Meituan Dianpin, a food delivery service app of China, also tested its autonomous robots and drones for food delivery service. Many other online shopping malls and delivery service apps in China are also putting their autonomous delivery services to test.

 

 

The relevant industries were already pushing for the launch of contactless services, and the recent Covid 19 outbreak has turned out to be an accelerating catalyst. IT service enterprises stand out among the beneficiaries of the Covid 19 outbreak. Netflix downloads have drastically surged and global Facebook page hits have doubled since the Covid 19 outbreak. Apple and Google’s app store revenues have jumped as well as Amazon’s online shopping turnover. All these businesses fall in the category of contactless business.

 

 

Retailers are most proactive on contactless business

Amazon is upgrading its contactless service model with the autonomous robot Scout and the unmanned offline outlet Amazon Go. Scout already began delivering goods to Amazon customers in full swing in Irvine, California in August, 2019. In February, 2020, Amazon opened an Amazon Go Grocery Store in Seattle, which is six times bigger than other conventional Amazon Go stores.

 

 

As the contactless service model turns out to be feasible in a supermarket which is way bigger than an initially tested convenience store, it will be tried in even bigger offline stores and eventually change supermarkets and discount outlets across the United States. Customers are expected to scan Amazon apps installed in their smartphones when entering Amazon Go stores and the goods that are picked by them are automatically detected by sensors and paid for by the apps as they walk through the counter. This is enabled by Amazon’s ‘Just Walk Out’ platform which is a representation of contactless service technology. This Amazon proprietary technology is already being licensed to other distributors and retailers.

Walmart has forged a partnership with autonomous-driven vehicle developer NURO whose fully autonomous unmanned delivery vehicle R2 was developed in February, 2020 and granted a regulatory exemption by the US NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). The NHTSA’s regulatory exemption allows autonomous vehicles to be driven on public roads. These initiatives are replicated by many retailers not just in the United States but across the world.

 

 

Gucci launched an AR (augmented reality)-enabled footwear fitting service app in July, 2019. Customers now do not have to visit Gucci stores in person to try on new shoes. Global retailers and fashion brands are bent on adopting this contactless service strategy because their business is one of the closest one to our everyday life.

 

 

“Contactless” represents new opportunities for all industries

Worldwide Covid 19 pandemic is dealing a hard blow to numerous manufacturing plants, too. Confirmed Covid 19 cases found in production lines result in plant shutdown or production breakdown, which leads to revenue decline and workforce layoff. In response, manufacturers find a stronger business case for increasing investment in factory automation and smart factory adoption; thus granting IT businesses new profit-making potential opportunities.

Smart work solutions such as video conferencing and telework tools and RPA (robotic process automation) technologies for office workers are also given greater emphasis. Smart work solutions are drawing attention as they allow workers not only to work off the office but also to be connected by networks for greater productivity and efficiency. RPA technologies reduce stereotyped and repetitive workload so that workers can focus on more value-added activities. After all, the current work paradigm needs to be shifted and innovated in favor of greater efficiency as opposed to the conventional norm where ‘things get done only when people meet each other in person’. Such a trend was already predicted, but it is now advancing at an accelerated pace.

 

 

Contactless technologies also empower healthcare industries to expand telemedicine and non-contact treatment and allow schools and educational institutions to prepare for new education service markets with homeschooling content enabled by online lectures, AI, VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) technologies.

 

 

Contactless society is a paradox of the hyper-connected society. We now live in an era where we have to stay connected whereas it is equally important to be secluded and un-contacted as we grow more eager to avoid unnecessary emotional attrition and conflict, misunderstanding and fatigue that accompany in-person connection and communication with others. A contactless society will ensure convenience and safety, but it will surely change human relationships as well. As the contactless society is based on ICT solutions, digitally handicapped people including the elderly and the physically challenged are struggling to catch up with the pace of change. As well, since contactless solutions too are intended to serve human beings, we need to include in our discussion strategies and systems designed to tackle the limitations of digital communication, economic issues and social exclusion resulting from the emergence of new industries.