Co-op scoops ice-cream first with in-store smart vending machine
The Co-op has installed the UK’s only consumer-facing smart ice-cream vending machine in its Battersea Bridge Road store in London as it continues to explore ways to make shopping quicker, easier and more convenient for consumers.
The retailer has teamed up with Unilever on the interactive Walls branded machine that stocks ices such as Co-op’s Fairtrade Choc Stick, Magnum Vegan Stick, Walls Twister, Solero Exotic Lolly, Calippo Orange and Ben & Jerry’s Peace Pop.
Shoppers use the machine by tapping their phone on the NFC tag before being asked to confirm their payment method. Once confirmed, the freezer door unlocks to allow the customer to select their favourite ice cream. The machine also features a combination of cameras and sensors to ensure that the customer is only charged for the products they have picked once they close the freezer door.
Rebecca Oliver-Mooney, Co-op’s head of category for dairy and frozen, said: “We continue to explore innovative ways to provide access to our products quickly, easily and more conveniently helping to delight and inspire our shoppers. With warmer, summer months now just around the corner we are delighted to team up with Unilever to bring this smart vending machine to our store for shoppers to pop in for ices. Over the coming months we aim to have more than 20 of the machines in selected stores or at outdoor events.”
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