Blue Almond is developing a smart retail shelf system that enables brands and agencies to track how customers interact with products in-store. Using embedded sensors and a microcontroller, the smart shelf collects data such as proximity, pickup duration, and engagement per product.

This project will focus on developing the software side of the system, a responsive web or mobile application that receives sensor data and provides real-time analytics to brand users. The platform will help marketers understand customer behaviour at the shelf level and select emotional engagement features like ASMR. We are seeking a student team to help us design, develop, and test a functional MVP of the application.

Project Objective & Goal

The main objective of this project is to develop a functional MVP for the Blue Almond smart retail shelf software platform, a responsive web or mobile application that connects to sensor-enabled retail shelves and delivers real-time interaction analytics to brand and agency users.

This project aims to:

• Enable real-time data visualization of customer interactions (e.g., how long a product is held, how many times it's picked up)
• Allow brands to customize the customer experience by selecting ASMR soundscapes played when products are interacted with
• Provide actionable marketing insights through an intuitive dashboard tailored to the retail and advertising industry

Ultimately, the goal is to empower marketers with physical-world engagement data, bringing digital-level analytics to in-store product placement while helping Blue Almond reach the next stage of product development and commercial readiness.

Expected Project Outcomes and Deliverables

By the end of the project, the student team is expected to deliver a working MVP (Minimum Viable Product) of the Blue Almond Smart Shelf Analytics App. This MVP will showcase how the application communicates with the smart shelf and enables brands to visualize real-time product engagement. Specifically, the outcomes will include:

Application Development Deliverables

• Functional Web or Mobile App MVP that:
• Receives and displays sensor data in real time (simulated or live)
• Visualizes data with intuitive UI (e.g., pickup count, dwell time, heatmaps)
• Includes brand/agency user login and profile features
• Integrates an ASMR sound selection panel that connects to the smart shelf’s speaker

Backend & Data Management

• A lightweight backend system (e.g., Firebase or Supabase) for:
• Storing user data, session logs, and interaction analytics
• Managing product labels and shelf configuration
• Supporting CSV or PDF export for brand reports

User Experience & Interface

• Professionally styled UI/UX, based on wireframes and personas provided
• Responsive design for tablets/laptops, with optional mobile compatibility

Hardware Communication

• Simulated or actual real-time communication between hardware and software (via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi)
• Ability to trigger ASMR playback via software inputs

Final Deliverables

• Live demo or screen recording of the working MVP
• Access to source code (GitHub or zip folder)
• Setup and deployment documentation (README, APIs, etc.)
• Short presentation deck summarizing work completed and next steps.