Glossary

Computer Vision

In one line: Computer vision is AI that interprets images and video — recognizing products, counting customers, reading shelves, and detecting patterns in visual data.

What it does in retail

Modern computer vision turns CCTV and product images into actionable data. It can count how many shoppers entered today, recognize when a shelf needs restocking, identify which products customers picked up but didn’t buy, flag damaged packaging on receiving docks, or match a customer photo to similar items in your catalog.

Common use cases

• Footfall analytics — count visitors, time spent, dwell zones
• Shelf monitoring — detect out-of-stock items in near real time
• Visual product search — “find something like this” for shoppers
• Loss prevention — flag suspicious patterns at self-checkout
• Quality inspection — spot damaged stock before it reaches the floor

What you need

A camera setup — existing CCTV often works — and a service that processes the feed. Most modern offerings are cloud-based and don’t require new hardware. Privacy and consent rules apply, especially in physical stores.

Related terms

Virtual Try-On, Personalization, Inventory Optimization