Take a look at the digital tools available in these markets in Shanghai, and the most vibrant places to take digital trains

After four months of renovation and upgrading, the nearly 30-year-old Nanquan Vegetable Market on Nanquan Road in Pudong New Area has recently made a new appearance as the "Nanquan Branch of Pushang Vegetable Market". Residents were pleasantly surprised to find that the previously outdated space had become bright and tidy, and simple transactions of buying and selling vegetables had become more "smart" due to the addition of digital tools

At the on-site meeting of the 2023 Demonstration Smart Vegetable Market Construction Project held by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce on August 30, the reporter learned that this year, "20 new demonstration smart vegetable markets" have been included in the Shanghai Private Practical Project. As of now, the city has completed the construction of 19 demonstration smart vegetable markets. At this speed, it is expected to complete 28 by the end of this year, exceeding the annual target.

Entering the Nanquan Vegetable Market, a large electronic display screen catches the eye, with diverse charts clearly listing the daily market average prices of various vegetables, fruits, and vegetables. The "Popular Merchant Recommendations" column presents high popularity stalls of each category one by one, and the daily sales, customer flow, and order prices of the vegetable market are also clear at a glance.

Entering the Nanquan Vegetable Market, a large electronic display screen came into view.

Before buying groceries, it has become a new habit for loyal customers to come to the big screen to do their homework and have a basic understanding of the prices before making a move. "All the data on the big screen will be connected to the 'Pudong New Area Smart Agricultural Products Comprehensive Information Management Platform'. Once the price fluctuation exceeds the normal range, we will immediately mobilize the commodity resources of the supply bases inside and outside the city to escort the 'vegetable basket' to ensure supply and stable prices." Song Jing, Deputy General Manager of the Agricultural Products Company under the Pushang Group, introduced.

The reporter also found that "new weapons" - AI intelligent recognition scales - have been added to the stalls of business owners. Its working principle is to use AI technology for image recognition. As soon as the product is placed on the weighing platform, the display screen will immediately display information such as product name, weight, unit price, etc., and the total price will be calculated immediately. "Smart scales save a lot of operations and never make mistakes," said Xiao Liu, a vegetable vendor at a vegetable stall. "I weigh around 1000 pounds of vegetables every day, and they sell almost everything before noon. Sometimes during rush hour, both smart scales can't keep up!"

AI intelligent recognition scale.

Qian Shenhao, the project manager of Nanquan Vegetable Market, told reporters that the construction of a "smart vegetable market" has added "wings" to improve the quality and efficiency of traditional vegetable markets. For example, the small ticket printed by the intelligent scale comes with a QR code, and consumers can scan it to trace the origin of the goods. For example, if market management personnel observe the disorderly stacking and placement of goods by business owners through the monitoring background, which brings safety hazards, they can directly pop up a window on the intelligent scale through the information system to remind them to make corrections.

Although a screen and a scale are standard equipment for "demonstration smart markets," the reporter also learned at the on-site meeting that the 19 demonstration smart markets that have completed construction tasks have their own "optional actions":

The Ningjia Pingshun Vegetable Market in Jing'an District has installed a fully covered and dead angle free behavior recognition detector and passenger flow detector. Without the need for management personnel to conduct full patrols, uncivilized behaviors or safety hazards such as smoking, arguing, and walking dogs in the venue can be detected. The passenger flow detector allows management personnel to understand the passenger flow situation in real time, strengthen guidance in a timely manner, and add an extra safety lock during special periods of dense passenger flow; The Longsheng store in Yongchang Market, Putuo District has installed a Wi Fi signal amplification device, providing free Wi Fi coverage throughout the market, making it convenient for consumers to make mobile payments.

Before the renovation of Tongbo Restaurant in Songjiang District, the inspection time for fire safety, food safety, environmental hygiene, and other aspects of the market was completely memorized by the employees. However, over time, there may be situations where the inspection was forgotten or the time was mistakenly recorded. After the renovation, the market utilizes the reminder mechanism of the information system to pre-set the time nodes for various inspection items. The platform will automatically remind the market to carry out regular inspections and maintenance of fire protection facilities such as fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, smoke detectors, etc. like an alarm, effectively avoiding problems such as forgetting to inspect, missing to inspect, and repeating to ensure safety production.