23 Feb - AiFi’s 100th Store Milestone Proves Autonomous Retail is Here to Stay
As AiFi celebrates the launch of its 100th store with Zabka in Poland, we mark a major milestone in our mission to revolutionize retail.
This achievement proves that autonomous retail isn’t just a trend, it is here to stay as retailers continue to see the positive benefits to both revenue and staff; and AiFi is leading the way.
“In cooperation with AiFi, we have created an innovative concept of Żabka Nano, which on a global scale, makes a revolutionary change in the perception of consumer experience,” said Tomasz Blicharski, Managing Director of Żabka Future. “the idea of an autonomous store makes shopping the most convenient experience ever, since it only requires taking a product from the shelf and paying for it at the checkout without scanning.”
AiFi powers the largest network of autonomous stores worldwide making frictionless checkout a reality for retailers across a multitude of verticals. As we enter this new era of shopping, retailers becoming increasingly curious about AI and how they can implement checkout-free solutions. Below, we are expanding on the most frequently asked questions our customers have had and the value our autonomous retail technology offers their businesses.
Why Should I Adopt Checkout-Free Technology?
Autonomous stores have the potential to increase profit margins by nearly twice as much as traditional retail stores thanks to reduced labor costs, efficient product stocking, and improved store operations according to McKinsey & Co.
Customer expectations, advancements in technology, and the rise of omnichannel commerce are just a few trends that are changing the face of retail. In an industry already known for thin margins, these changes are leading retailers to look to technology and innovation to help increase ROI and gain a competitive edge. Frictionless checkout solutions lay the ground for a hassle-free customer experience that results in tangible benefits:
1. Better Shopping Experience
Shopping experiences are made convenient, quick, and available 24/7 increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
2. Operational Efficiency
Operational efficiency: Real-time inventory management, streamlined planogram operations, greater selling space utilization, and automated transaction processing all create store efficiency.
3. Labor Optimization
High labor costs are reduced or eliminated with excess staff being reduced or repurposed to focus on higher value-added tasks enabling retailers to optimize staffing resources.
Is It Easy to Implement?
AiFi’s autonomous retail technology utilizes camera-only computer vision that eliminates the need for weight-censored shelves, making the installation process quick and efficient. Cameras are installed, calibrated, and tested by AiFi’s store dedicated team to detect product and track shopper activity while the AI works to process transactions.
Offering a fully integrated autonomous checkout solution, we make it easy for retailers to integrate frictionless checkout into their operations.
Can It Be Used in All Types of Retail Verticals?
Autonomous retail can benefit most businesses across a variety of verticals. Using 100% camera-vision, AiFi's platform is designed with flexibility and scalability in mind making it work for numerous types of retail verticals.
AiFi’s technology works through cameras and computer vision to allow quick and efficient shopping for various store formats across multiple global retail segments. Our solutions adapt to the different environments of:
- Convenience stores
- Sports and event stadiums
- Universities
- Workplaces
- Travel retail
See more examples of our autonomous stores on our Customers page.
How Does It Address Customer Privacy & Theft?
Using keypoint tracking that measures the distance between customers’ joints and creates a unique shopper avatar, AiFi technology offers complete consumer privacy. Without the use of any facial recognition data or biometrics, all activity within the store is 100% anonymous offering customers a safe shopping experience. Retailers are provided with complete store security as cameras accurately track shopper movement and products picked up while AiFi’s Store Console allows for all transactions to be reviewed and contested.
Can I Integrate My Existing Payment & Operations Systems?
Integrating operations and payment systems is made easy with our suite of powerful APIs that act as a bridge between the retailer's systems and AiFi’s. For payment and checkout options, AiFi enables retailers to use their own app or select a credit card flow, retaining their own payment processes without the need for any major infrastructure changes. Retailers can also use AiFi APIs to manage key operations of the store such as updating product details, extracting lists of orders, reading store planograms, and obtaining customers lists.
What Does the Setup Process Look Like?
Our deployment process is comprised of 4 steps:
1. Planning
Initial solution designs, planning, and project kickoff take place
2. Procurement & Installation
Hardware is purchased and installed in the store
3. Integration
AiFi’s Platform and software is integrated
4. Testing & Training
AiFi’s team tests the store end to end and staff is trained
Can I See Examples of Stores that Use AiFi's Technology:
Retailers worldwide are already adopting autonomous retail across their business and offering customers a frictionless shopping experience that scales. See our case study of our store with the Detroit Lions at Ford Field stadium here, and take a closer look at the success Choice Market saw when going autonomous here.
The Future of Retail Is Autonomous
With the rapid advancement of AI and computer vision technology, it's clear that the future of retail is autonomous. These 100 stores are only the beginning for AiFi and we look forward to continue our global expansion as we work to usher in this new era.
“Retailers are reimagining everything from inventory management to staffing efficiency and in-store automation in order to meet the evolving needs of their customers. We’re proud to offer retailers an affordable, advanced, and flexible solution that helps retailers attract new customers and keep existing ones coming back,” said AiFi CEO Steve Carlin.
Read more about our milestone in our press release or contact us at hello@aifi.com to request a free demo and learn more about implementing autonomous retail for your business.
