A Polish retail technology startup has created a pilot semi-autonomous convenience store near Warsaw. The store is powered by Hikvision, supporting the entire customer journey, from account verification and store access, to the scanning of goods and checkout. It garnered high praise from customers for its innovation and user-friendly experience. Encouraged by the initial success, the company plans to scale its presence in the market by using this store as a model to introduce similar concepts in multiple locations throughout Poland.
Challenge: creating a feature-rich, cost-effective solution for semi-autonomous retail
Many retailers around the world are investing in technology solutions that help them move from traditional store operations to autonomous operations. These kinds of solutions allow customers to enter stores and select and pay for products without assistance from store staff – giving them full control of their shopping experience and reducing operating costs.
However, this kind of automated retail solutions depend on the seamless integration of multiple hardware and software elements. Where these are sourced from multiple companies, the integration requirements can be highly complex and costly, making deployment a significant challenge. Moreover, efficiently operating a store without in-store staff while also ensuring customer satisfaction also present challenges.
Solution: a pre-integrated solution based on Hikvision hardware and software
To demonstrate that semi-autonomous retail can be deployed swiftly and economically, a Polish retail startup has partnered with a retail construction company to build a pilot store near Warsaw. Over 80% of the store’s technology is provided by Hikvision, complemented by supplementary software and self-checkout units from alternative brands. Thanks to the seamlessly integrated nature of the solution, it proves remarkably cost-effective in terms of procurement, integration and deployment.