Merging the Physical and Digital Worlds: Retail Refined

In a (bring your own device) retail world, the lines between the physical and digital worlds continue to merge thanks to the possibilities of computer vision. In this episode with guest Christian Floerkemeier, CTO and co-founder of Scandit, learn how Scandit is helping retailers automate end-to-end retail operations by moving routine processes and tasks onto mobile devices powered by high-performance barcode scanning software. From consumer self-scanning apps for self-checkout and Scan-and-Go shopping to augmented reality for access to real-time information, they are redefining retail one scan at a time via intelligent text and object recognition capturing customer imagination and reducing operational costs.

About the Guest

Christian Floerkemeier: CTO, VP Product, and co-founder of Scandit
As CTO and VP Product, Scandit co-founder Christian Floerkemeier is responsible for Scandit’s product strategy and roadmap and is the technical lead behind Scandit’s patented Barcode Scanner technology.

Before founding Scandit, Christian was the Associate Director of the Auto-ID Lab at MIT and a member of the MIT research team that developed the RFID technology which is today in use in major supply chains. Christian also co-founded Fosstrak, the leading open-source RFID software platform that implements the EPC Network specification. He was the technical program chair of the Internet of Things Conference in 2008 and IEEE RFID 2009 and general chair of IEEE RFID 2011.

Christian received a PhD in Computer Science from ETH Zurich and a Bachelor and MEng degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cambridge.

About the Company

Scandit enables businesses and consumers to interact with everyday objects by blending the physical and digital worlds using computer vision. Scandit technology is a unique machine learning platform combining leading-edge barcode scanning, text recognition (OCR), object recognition and augmented reality (AR) for use on any camera-equipped smart device, from smartphones to drones, wearables and robots.

Many of the world’s most successful companies use Scandit as part of their digital transformation, including 7-Eleven, Alaska Airlines, Carrefour, Hermes, La Poste, Levi Strauss & Co, Sephora and Toyota.

What Melissa Asked

  • How does Scandit blend the physical and digital worlds using computer vision?
  • Why did you start the company and how has your vision evolved since then?
  • How do you see changing behaviors due to COVID accelerating adoption for in-store technology integration?
  • How does Scandit take costs out of operational costs?
  • How long does it take you to get a store up and running, and optimized?
  • Are there a couple of retail use cases/success story examples you can share?

Listen To Previous Episodes of Retail Refined Right Here!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

top 1%
Get Vertical! Going from Idea to the Top 1% in Less Than 3 Years
February 17, 2026

Independent retail is operating in one of the most competitive environments in decades. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 20% of new businesses fail within their first year, and a whopping 50% don’t make it to year five. At the same time, consumers are increasingly choosing brands that offer community, authenticity,…

Read More
MarTech
How CMOs Must Respond as AI Redefines Marketing and MarTech Strategy
February 16, 2026

AI is shifting marketing from experimentation to operational integration. In this episode, Aby Varma speaks with Palmer Houchins, VP of Marketing at G2, about embedding AI into workflows, rethinking org design, and navigating rapid change across the MarTech landscape. From LLM copilots to agentic workflows, they unpack practical adoption lessons and the increasing importance of…

Read More
experiential learning
Flood the Zone: University of Virginia’s New Strategy to Scale Experiential Learning for Every Student
February 16, 2026

Experiential learning is having a bit of a reckoning moment in higher ed. For years, the default answer was “get an internship” or “do a co-op”—as if every student can pause life, relocate for a summer, and take on a high-stakes role that’s supposed to define their future. But students’ realities have changed: many…

Read More
free tools
The True Cost of Free Tools: When Free Platforms Own More of Your Network Than You Do
February 12, 2026

Nowadays, getting a project off the ground usually means moving fast. A quick map gets sketched. A file gets shared. A design gets reviewed in whatever tool is closest at hand. In the moment, it feels efficient — even smart. But in the telecommunications industry, as networks become more automated, location-aware, and powered by AI,…

Read More