The South Florida Sun Sentinel has a story about Sedano’s, which “is among a growing number of supermarket chains using new technology to make shopping even more convenient while also competing with e-commerce titan Amazon.com. Experts say the super-competitive nature of supermarkets means grocers have to find new ways to provide groceries as fast and cheaply as possible.”
In Sedano’s case, that means using 11,000 square feet of a Miami store for a robotics system that picks product that can be delivered to 15 of its area stores, where the orders can then be picked up by shoppers who have placed their orders online.
“This new system at Sedano’s Supermarket fills online orders lightning fast - 60 items in five minutes or less,” the story says. “And that speediness is Sedano’s strategy to cater to rushed customers who don’t have the time — or desire — to walk the aisles themselves.”
“It’s a symphony of chaos,” says Javier Herran, Sedano’s chief marketing officer. “Rather than a person fill your order and go to a shelf, this machine brings the shelf to you.”
The story goes on: “Although Sedano’s is not delivering the food — yet — it’s aiming to attract customers through the faster shopping experience. The system will save Sedano’s money on clerks and cashiers, and customers will value how they don’t get billed extra fees for delivery by competitors, said Max Pedro, co-founder of Takeoff Technologies, the Waltham, Mass.-based company that created the robotics.”
In Sedano’s case, that means using 11,000 square feet of a Miami store for a robotics system that picks product that can be delivered to 15 of its area stores, where the orders can then be picked up by shoppers who have placed their orders online.
“This new system at Sedano’s Supermarket fills online orders lightning fast - 60 items in five minutes or less,” the story says. “And that speediness is Sedano’s strategy to cater to rushed customers who don’t have the time — or desire — to walk the aisles themselves.”
“It’s a symphony of chaos,” says Javier Herran, Sedano’s chief marketing officer. “Rather than a person fill your order and go to a shelf, this machine brings the shelf to you.”
The story goes on: “Although Sedano’s is not delivering the food — yet — it’s aiming to attract customers through the faster shopping experience. The system will save Sedano’s money on clerks and cashiers, and customers will value how they don’t get billed extra fees for delivery by competitors, said Max Pedro, co-founder of Takeoff Technologies, the Waltham, Mass.-based company that created the robotics.”
- KC's View:
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Sedano’s is smart … it isn’t giving up on the in-store experience, but it recognizes for a lot of CPG items, the store isn’t a differentiator. Rather, it is a chore.
Who among us isn’t happy when we can get people to do our chores for us?
Very cool.
