What Kind of Brands Are Turning Towards Automated Retail? Should This Be on Your Radar?
Automated retail delivers convenience to customers and meets them where they’re at.
To ensure that your customers face no disruption even during uncertain times you can diversify your retail channels. Adopting automated retail solutions can ensure that your customers always have easy access to your products.
Best Buy, for instance, through its Best Buy Express™, enables customers to purchase gadgets on the go.
How Can You Benefit From Automated Retail?
In a number of ways! You can:
- Deliver more convenience to customers.
- Be in more places with smaller investments (compared to opening a physical store).
- Have another product distribution channel.
- Reduce overhead expenses and costs as less staff is needed to maintain these kiosks.
Can Automated Retail Work for Your brand?
While there is a general misconception that automated retail is only viable for technology products or packaged snacks, that’s really not the case…
You don’t just have to be a technology retailer to leverage automated retail. Here are examples of businesses in the food industry that are successfully using the technology!
I. Box’d by Paramount Fine Foods
Box’d is using automated retail technology to simplify the order process and change the way consumers order and pick up food.
This is a great example of how a brand has evolved to address the challenges of a global pandemic. Box’d enables customers to place their orders in advance via a mobile app or through a digital in-store kiosk. Then, in the restaurant, there are digital status boards that inform the customers that the food is ready and guide them to their pickup locations.
II. PizzaForno
Similarly, did you ever think you could get a fresh artisan pizza within 3 minutes from a kiosk?
Well, PizzaForno has pizzas delivered straight to their machines and they are baked in their state-of-the-art ovens as soon as an order is placed through the touchscreen. There are multiple PizzaForno locations that you can visit when you have your next pizza craving (especially if it’s at odd hours)!
III. Carlo’s Bakery
Cake Boss vending machines give you a quick way to get your hands on the famous Carlo’s Bakery cakes all the way from New Jersey! The cakes are as fresh as they can be because these machines are stocked on a daily basis.
BlogTo shares that there are already eight of these vending machines located across the GTA, including one at Square One and one at Toronto Eaton Centre.
So, if you’re considering automated retail … now is the time to ADAPT.
How can we help?
If you want to leverage automated technology, you need a trusted partner who can help you ensure that your machines are stocked and maintained effectively. These are a few things that we, at Storesupport, can help you with:
- Inventory Support – We can help you with inventory management and stock replenishment when it comes to vending machines, micro-markets, and kiosks.
- Education Support – as automated retail is still relatively new – we can help you with customer education and staff training.
- Location and Strategy Support – Based on our industry experience, we can also help you brainstorm possibilities and conduct feasibility analysis for new automated retail channels and locations.
Looking to get started in automated retail or need support with existing automated retail offerings? Get in touch! Learn all about our automated retail solutions at www.storesupport.ca.
Do you think automated retail is here to stay? Let us know on social media. Storesupport Canada is on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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