New AI technology set to revolutionise performance of Yorkshire greetings card company

The spokesman added: “By embedding the new technology, the team is set to dramatically boost the performance of greeting cards in the convenience and forecourt sector. It has been developed as part of a two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), part-funded by the Government through Innovate UK.”

Andrew Glen, Managing Director of Riverside Greetings, said: “Many small businesses struggle to access the resources they need to innovate effectively and at scale.

"By participating in a KTP we’ve been able to work closely with a team at Leeds Beckett University who have helped us to develop this initiative.”

The team has created an automated inventory and category management system that combines AI with RFID technology to “significantly improve” the productivity and effectiveness of Riverside’s merchandising service.

The spokesman added: “The new, patent pending, technology, is now being piloted in several test stores in England. It will allow merchandisers to complete a full stock count of hundreds of cards by design in less than two minutes, with 100 per cent accuracy, compared with the current manual counting system which can take 30 to 45 minutes.”

Dr Akbar Sheikh Akbari, Reader in the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing at Leeds Beckett University, said: “I am delighted with the transformative level of innovation and efficiency provided through the combination of AI and RFID technology in facilitating greeting cards delivery. The benefits include the efficient management of card stocks in shops, reduced costs; reduced waste; increased accuracy; and a reduced carbon footprint.”