365 Retail Markets, a global leader in unattended retail technology, announced the launch of PicoCooler Vision. This large capacity smart cooler uses automatic product recognition to create a highly accurate and secure grab and go shopping experience. These capabilities greatly enhance the unattended convenience service options available to consumers in semi-public locations historically addressed by traditional vending machines.
With PicoCooler Vision, five spacious shelves support capacity needs for high-volume locations while allowing for a larger product assortment in varying sizes and quantities. In the same footprint as a vending machine, fresh food and beverages can be merchandised together in a single self-contained storefront to satisfy consumers and increase transaction size.
A combination of computer vision and artificial intelligence (AI) ensures that consumers are charged for exactly what they take from the smart cooler. There is no need to scan or vend. Consumers can freely shop the shelves, as they would in a traditional store. The cashless payment method used to initially unlock PicoCooler Vision is billed automatically for the consumer's purchases, making a true grab and go shopping experience. With a higher degree of confidence in the transaction, operators can reach consumers in transient locations with a wider variety of refrigerated snack choices.
“With workplace and campus dining needs evolving to 24/7 availability, operators need to rapidly adapt their services to meet demand across several key business channels,” Boris Amegadjie, chief product officer for 365 Retail Markets, said in the announcement. “Healthcare, hospitality, and higher education are three emerging industries clamoring for more convenience. We see PicoCooler Vision as the ideal solution to close the gap and bring a fresh perspective to product selection and seamless, secure self-checkout like never before.”
PicoCooler Vision extends the proven smart solution portfolio from 365 Retail Markets into a second computer vision and AI led offering. Unlike other industry solutions, merchandising PicoCooler Vision is not constrained by RFID tagging, calibrating shelves, or vendor product library limitations. Operators can sell what fits by simply adding it to the planogram.
"365 is seeing smart coolers and cabinets replacing vending machines in droves because of the sales uplift operators have been able to capture,” Amegadjie continued in the announcement. “Operators have reported revenue of up to 12x that of a traditional vending machine, because of the higher value merchandise and frictionless consumer experience these solutions provide.”
PicoCooler Vision is available for immediate purchase in the United States and Canada.
