Standard AI, a world leader in autonomous retail, and Chartwells Higher Education, a leader in contract foodservice management, announced an expanded partnership that will bring 100 autonomous retail stores to life at some of the country’s most innovative higher education institutions.
This expansion follows a successful partnership over the past two years. In 2020, Chartwells Higher Education was the first company to successfully retrofit an existing retail environment using Standard AI’s autonomous platform – enabling university students to walk in, select their items, and go, without having to wait in a checkout line or scan barcodes.
This summer, Chartwells and Standard AI partnered on six new and revamped markets including stores at San Jose State University and University of Houston, with the store at The University of Texas at Dallas coming soon.
“University students are truly the shoppers of tomorrow,” Christopher Burr, VP of digital strategy at Chartwells Higher Education, said in the announcement. “The shift toward autonomous shopping that’s happening today at university campuses will fuel broader expansion of this technology into our neighborhoods and communities. Waiting in line is quickly becoming a relic of the past.”
Within months of opening a fully autonomous store last year at San Jose State University's Ginger Market – a first for Silicon Valley – the store achieved a 21% increase in store traffic and 23% increase in the average transaction size.
“We’re now at the watershed moment for autonomous retail: Retailers love the cost savings, support for labor challenges, and ability to accelerate growth,” Jordan Fisher, co-founder and CEO, Standard AI, added in the announcement. “Shoppers love skipping the line, seamless payment options, and transactions in just seconds. Students in particular love frictionless, autonomous shopping for its speed and simplicity. We're excited to partner with Chartwells Higher Ed to roll this technology out to more students and faculty and more universities!"
The system allows store staff the flexibility to refocus their attention on customer service, store management and other tasks. Standard AI-powered computer vision cameras also provide data and insights into product performance and shopping behavior, enabling retailers to make efficient and effective adjustments based on consumers’ preferences and needs.
To see the SJSU Ginger Market autonomous shopping experience in action, watch this video.
