Leading Russian health foods brand and food tech company VkusVill, is testing a new format for quick grocery shopping with the opening of its first cashierless store in Moscow.
The new store, located at 1 Testovskaya Street, is a micro-mart with an area of 52sq m. It offers around 220 SKUs, including a range of prepared meals and sandwiches, groceries, pre-packed fruits and vegetables, drinks, desserts and dairy products.
The store was developed in partnership with Neurus, a company that develops AI-based technologies for retail. It has no store assistants or cashiers – an employee only visits the store in the morning to stock the shelves with fresh products. However, during the early stages of the store’s operation, a consultant will be on hand to greet customers and introduce them to its technical features.
To make a purchase, customers scan a QR code that appears in their VkusVill mobile app when they enter the store. They can then select the items they need and exit through a special turnstile. Payment is automatically deducted from the bank card attached to their mobile app.
In its first two weeks of operation, the cashierless store saw an average of 70 purchases per day. Checks averaged at 2-3 items, with the most popular purchases being sandwiches and confectionary.
