4RM Digital Products: an ecosystem of solutions for smart retailing

Retail is moving from buying individual devices to data-based store management. Therefore, solutions where hardware and software are designed to work together from the outset and are scalable at the network level are increasingly important. In practice, this is especially noticeable in convenience and discounter formats, where the flow is uneven, staff is scarce, and any error in the checkout area or weight area quickly turns into losses. In parallel, the share of online orders is growing and the load on the “last mile” is increasing - the store is becoming not only a point of sale, but also a point of delivery. Therefore, manufacturers are increasingly moving from supplying individual devices to complete solutions for the store. The 4RM company is developing just such an approach: together with retail equipment they develop software solutions for store management

Today, 4RM's ecosystem combines its own equipment manufacturing and software development based on artificial intelligence technologies: from retail shelving and cash register solutions to refrigeration equipment and digital management platforms.

The solutions can be implemented in different ways. Retailers can use 4RM equipment as an independent infrastructural element of the store or implement it in conjunction with the company's software products, forming a unified digital environment for managing trade processes.

From equipment to digital store architecture

The engineering base of 4RM solutions is the company's own equipment production.

The plant of 4RM Systems LLC (Vitebsk) produces checkout counters, self-service checkouts, self-service scales, sales shelving for stores of various formats, as well as mailboxes for the last mile infrastructure.

The plant of Freor Refrigeration LLC develops refrigeration equipment for sales areas and gastronomic zones.

But the other thing is crucial: all equipment is created with consideration of digital scenarios of store operation. Cameras, weighing systems, checkout systems and self-service terminals are initially designed to work together with software platforms.

The software logic is developed by the 4RM Tech division. This approach allows designing technologies not as separate products, but as an interconnected system. Checkout solutions, self-service scales, video analytics systems and software platforms are designed to work together and work with the same store management logic. For the retailer, this means easier integration of technologies, reduced operational risks during implementation and the ability to scale solutions at the level of the entire network.

Stemma platform - the AI base for store management

The center of the digital ecosystem is Stemma 's modular AI platform. It combines data from checkout areas, self-service scales and video analytics systems, allowing store processes to be managed on the basis of real data.

The platform includes several modules.

“Stemma Recognition ” - recognizes goods in the payment area, reducing errors and preventing attempts to substitute goods.

“Stemma Stock ” - monitors the availability of goods on the shelves and compliance with the planograms, signaling a shortage of products.

“Stemma Customer ” - analyzes visitor behavior, generates heat maps, tracks queues and helps to optimize navigation in the store.

“Stemma Worker ” - allows you to assess employee utilization and efficiency of work areas.

“Stemma Metrics ” - integrates data from all modules and makes store performance transparent for the chain's management team.

Sova" system - self-service zone management

For self-service checkouts and scales, 4RM has developed the “Sova” system, which works directly with the company's equipment.

“Sova Scale ” - provides centralized management of self-service scales and product recognition systems, as well as analyzes sales and status of the network devices.

“Sova AntiFraud ” - detects fraudulent actions - for example, attempts to substitute goods - and promptly notifies the security service.

Integration of the software with the equipment allows the system to work stably even in the hours of maximum load.

Locca platform - last mile infrastructure

The development of online commerce makes the order delivery infrastructure a part of modern retailing. 4RM manufactures mailboxes and at the same time develops the “Locca ” software platform for managing this infrastructure.

“Locca Home ” - integrates with delivery services and provides logistics transparency at the residential neighborhood level.

“Locca Pickup Point ” - allows to automate the issuance of orders through mailboxes without the involvement of staff.

“Locca Hub ” - manages additional services - vending, coffee points and digital advertising.

Smart store: the evolution of the physical store

Technology is gradually changing the role of the physical store. More and more often retailers consider it not only as a point of sale, but also as a managed digital environment.

The Smart Store concept involves the use of video analytics, product recognition systems, automated checkout areas and customer behavior analytics. Such solutions help to better manage traffic, reduce losses and optimize operational processes.

On the Russian market, the introduction of such technologies is taking place gradually. The main focus is on practical scenarios that really help stores work more efficiently: queue control, product recognition in the self-service area, display analysis and sales floor monitoring.

That's why 4RM solutions are built around real store operational management challenges, not experimental technologies.

Today, the key for retailers is not the fact of technology implementation, but its impact on store economics. Product recognition systems help to reduce losses in the self-service area, queue analytics helps to manage checkout area capacity, and display monitoring helps to react faster to the absence of goods on the shelf.

In essence, it's about moving from automating individual operations to managing the entire store operating model based on data.

 An ecosystem instead of a set of devices

The main idea behind 4RM solutions is the integration of hardware and software. Checkout solutions, scales, video analytics systems, refrigeration equipment, postal machines and digital platforms can be used as independent elements of store infrastructure or combined into a single technological system.

This gives retailers the ability to:

• manage the store in real time
• reduce operational losses
• Introduce new trade formats faster
• Scale technology across the entire chain.

In fact, retail is moving from the “equipment for the store” model to the model of the technological infrastructure of trade.

It is in this logic that the 4RM ecosystem is developing: equipment, software platforms and analytical tools form a unified environment for managing the retail space.

For chains, this means the ability to introduce technologies gradually, to scale them across the entire chain, and to manage a store not only as a retail outlet, but also as a digital system.