Retail news that keeps industry pros in the know
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To meet post-juice cleanse level demand for food and staples, some grocers are suddenly embracing tech that reduces their dependence on human workers, CNN Business reports.
In the aisles…retailers are deploying robots to clean floors and restock shelves.
- Brain Corp., which converts machinery to autonomous floor-scrubbing robots, says usage of its bots in stores jumped 13% annually in March.
- At Takeoff Technologies, an automated grocery fulfillment company, orders have increased by double digits annually since the pandemic began.
At the checkout counter...some retailers are requesting digital payments over cards or cash, on the WHO’s recommendation. Publix completed the rollout of contactless payment at all of its stores last weekend; Walmart expanded its contactless payment options last week.
In the parking lot...bots are delivering curbside pickup orders. D.C. grocer Broad Branch Market started using self-driving robots this week for coronavirus-era curbside deliveries.
Robots don’t cough
The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted grocery and pharmacy workers who keep us sustained in hard times. But the pandemic also highlighted the risks inherent to workforces with opposable thumbs.
- Many chains cut operating hours in March because shoppers cleared out the toilet paper faster than workers could restock it.
- After workers fall ill, essential retailers temporarily close their doors to deep clean. At least four grocery workers have died of COVID-19 in recent days.
Those concerns are nudging retailers to consider further social distancing measures using asocial devices. "Robots handle a majority of the leg-work when fulfilling orders, meaning there is limited contact with grocery items," Takeoff Technologies CEO Jose Aguerrevere told CNN Business.
+ Robots are cheap(er). Researchers at the Brookings Institution note that in economic shocks, human capital becomes relatively more expensive as revenues decline. What follows? Increased automation.
My takeaway: Retail was already tiptoeing toward a high-tech future before sneezes hit the fan. COVID-19’s spread will likely accelerate the migration to contactless payment and robotic associates in stores.
Okay, that was tough for both of us. You can have my favorite puppy on TikTok, as a treat.