According to a recent McKinsey study, autonomous stores are an innovative way to stay relevant in today’s foodservice marketplace and meet customer demands while transforming their cost structure and generating higher profits.
Structural Concepts is out in front of this trend with the recent launch of its Autonomous Retail Merchandiser (ARM). Partnering with Instant Retail Systems LLC to offer a fully integrated autonomous retail solution to US and Canadian-based customers, Structural Concepts is the first refrigerated merchandiser manufacturer to offer a complete smart solution for autonomous shopping.
Focusing on delivering even greater value to its customers, Structural Concepts is making fresh food displays more profitable with this new merchandiser that utilizes leading-edge automated checkout technology from Instant Retail Systems. Automated Checkout allows shoppers to browse products directly on the shelf, have their selections automatically added to their cart, and pay with credit/debit or mobile payment for faster transactions. For the operator, the autonomous solution tracks inventory and requires less labor, resulting in lower operating costs and increased productivity.
While 74% of small and mid-sized businesses expect their customers will continue to prefer contactless payments as much as or more than they do currently, 66% of consumers believe that automation can improve their shopping experience inclusive of the increasing need for food safety and product consistency. And with nearly one-in-three foodservice companies worried about being able to attract and retain staff, 72% of retailers/sellers of fresh food are using, or planning to use, automation to decrease their team’s time on hands-on work.
“This will be a game changer for our customers. This technology will increase operational efficiencies, provide better inventory tracking, and improve security,” said Joe Mockus, CEO of Structural Concepts. “From a shopper’s perspective, this will deliver on their desire for contactless experiences and food safety while also ensuring the speed and accuracy of transactions.”
Designed to offset labor challenges and improve the end customer experience, the ARM provides an appealing merchandising format and is compatible with various methods of payment. This includes credit/debit cards, student IDs, work IDs, etc., that will be pre-authorized upon presentation to the POS device. Existing payment processing systems can also easily be integrated with the ARM.
The ARM also contains load cell trays allowing the operator to program food in each tray via an app, where the weight of each item tells the system what has been selected. Interactive LED shelf lights identify which tray a product was selected from and these instantly turn red if the wrong product is put back in the tray.
The electronic locking door and built-in camera provide a high level of security and the load cell technology assists with inventory and shrink management. Built-in monitoring provides automatic notifications for remote management.
Using smart technologies to automate the checkout process allows for more sophisticated capture of valuable data and for better understanding of customers. These data-driven insights can be used to further inform a retail strategy and deliver better, personalized shopping experiences at scale.
Since its market inception, the ARM has already been recognized within the industry as a featured recipient of the 2023 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Awards showcased at this year’s National Restaurant Association Show. The KI Award celebrates the back of house innovations that improve operations and generate growth through advances in automation, sustainability, efficiency, space saving and more.
Manufactured and shipped in the USA, ARM models uphold industry standard lead times and service after the sale support. They also Includes Structural Concepts’ hallmark industrial design and an applicable footprint that seamlessly integrates into all existing spaces for easy transition.
By holding 39% more food, using less energy to operate, creating the ability to operate seamlessly in remote locations, offering a simplified flat fee structure, and providing 100% security and 100% inventory control and management, the new ARM from Structural Concepts delivers a quick payback by generating 2x more reoccurring profits vs. the leading competition.
