Trigo, an Israel-based company working on checkout technology, is partnering with discounter Netto Marken-Discount on a hybrid checkout-free grocery store in Munich, Germany.
Trigo transforms existing supermarkets into fully autonomous or hybrid digital stores, combining AI technology with ceiling-mounted cameras to create a seamless shopping experience.
Shoppers use an app to scan a QR code as they enter, and then will be free to pick up items and leave without having to go to the till.
The purchase amount is automatically deducted via the registered payment method stored in the app.
Netto Marken-Discount
Owned by The Edeka Group, Netto Marken-Discount operates over 4,000 stores across Germany and offers one of the largest selections of groceries in the German discount market.
The company now marks its first-ever hybrid checkout-free store.
With over 3,500 stock keeping units (SKUs), the 250 square-metre hybrid store will be located in Munich’s Schwabing West neighbourhood near the University of Munich, a predominantly residential area where much of the student accommodation is situated.
The store will provide students and other shoppers access to discounted prices on everyday goods, including freshly baked goods, and fruit and vegetables.
Age verification for alcohol and tobacco will be processed once through the app on customers’ first visit, the retailer added.
To ensure that shoppers who prefer to use traditional checkout can still do so, Netto Marken-Discount has opted for a hybrid concept where the checkout counter is still accessible.
Collaboration
Netto Marken-Discount has tapped Trigo’s GDPR-compliant, privacy-by-design solution which anonymises a shopper’s in-store movement and product choice data, and does not use any biometric or facial recognition data.
This is an important breakthrough as Germany has some of the toughest data protection and privacy regulations anywhere in the world.
Michael Gabay, Trigo's co-founder and CEO, said, "Trigo works with some of the biggest names in the retail space, and we are particularly excited to be partnering with Netto [Marken-Discount] to open the first hybrid-frictionless discount store in the world. The general public will be able to enjoy the competitive pricing of the discounter together with a great shopping experience.”
Christina Stylianou, head of corporate communications at Netto Marken-Discount, commented, “Using ‘Pick&Go’, we’re testing an innovative shopping service for customers. At the same time, this new offer enables us to respond to the current desire of many people for fewer contacts in everyday life.”
Trigo has recently partnered with other major retailers such as Tesco, REWE, and Aldi Nord to bring their seamless shopping solution to all corners of Europe.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Technology news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
