Auchan Hungary and its domestic interests involved in the acquisition employ around 6,000 people.Continue reading
Auchan Hungary has opened its first “smart point of sale,” an unmanned store, in Újbuda (Budapest, 11th District) with an investment of HUF 100 million (EUR 244,000), the retailer announced.
The Auchan GO store, open 24/7, can be accessed via an app that is also used to pay at the end of the purchase. The retailer told MTI that the IT infrastructure and automation was designed to be integrated into the company’s systems.
The company will assess the demand in Hungary for the solution, an increasingly popular non-stop and fast shopping option in Western Europe and overseas, based on customer feedback.
The return on investment of the pilot project will depend on how many such units can be opened and operated in the future, they added. The unmanned store will operate with an artificial intelligence-based camera system and a weight-sensing shelving system, in compliance with GDPR rules.
The new 18-square-meter store format is a lightweight design that can be set up almost anywhere. Alcohol and other age-restricted merchandise will not be sold in the stores, but hundreds of private label products will be available, the statement pointed out.
Auchan’s partner in developing the technology for the project was Kende Retail Operation, a Hungarian company specialized in providing automated retail solutions.
To shop at unmanned stores, customers will first need an app. The app requires you to download your personal details, supported by a photo ID. It will then generate a single-use QR code that can be used to enter the store and scanned by the automatic access system. As there are no staff, including cashiers, payment is made at the self-service checkouts. Here you will need to scan the QR code and you can only pay by credit card.
Via MTI, Featured image: Wikipedia