ShopRite unveils micro-fulfillment solution utilizing VLM technology
The ShopRite Pod at the New Rochelle, New York, store.
ShopRite, a subsidiary of Keasbey-based Wakefern Food Corp., announced its New Rochelle, New York, store is taking online grocery shopping to a new level with contactless, secure pickup pods. Customers can now pick up online grocery orders at the store’s QuickCollect GO! POD, a temperature-controlled outdoor pickup pod.
ShopRite is the first grocer on the East Coast to utilize a new automated pickup solution.
The compact automated storage and retrieval system is designed to maximize space and offer high-capacity storage.
“The QuickCollect GO! POD will make it even easier for our shoppers at the New Rochelle store to pick up their online orders”
The nation’s largest supermarket cooperative is rolling out the new QuickCollect Go Pod, which enables shoppers to retrieve their online ShopRite grocery orders from a temperature-controlled outdoor pickup pod for a fast and easy, contactless self-service pickup experience. QuickCollect Go Pod can hold ambient, refrigerated and frozen foods, and customers’ entire grocery orders are available for pickup in one solution.
The Vertical Lift Module is a compact automated storage and retrieval system designed to maximize space and offer high-capacity storage.
The Vertical Lift Module quintuples storage capability while reducing order errors and customer wait times. It also increases slot capacity for stores with limited online shopping space. Grocery orders are stored in totes on the trays within the unit, and the VLM automatically delivers the totes based on an order barcode scan when the customer arrives for pickup. The solution can also deliver orders when a customer checks in for curbside pickup.
This free-standing pod is now available at the ShopRite store in New Rochelle, N.Y. When items are ready, customers receive a text containing a QR code to scan on the console screen, which brings the order to the customer pickup portal, allowing them to access their pre-ordered groceries.
“We are excited to use the Vertical Lift Module as another tool to enhance online shopping service. Our ShopRite from Home online shopping service is one of the fastest-growing parts of our business and we are always looking for ways to streamline the online shopping process for our customers.”
Robotic automation enables delivery and retrieval of online orders. The first totes start dispensing to the customer in under one minute. The solution is designed to keep orders safe and secure until the customer picks them up with their unique pickup code.
ShopRite has been experimenting with different technologies that automate the fulfillment of online orders. In September, ShopRite became the first supermarket chain on the East Coast to utilize Tortoise delivery robots. The remote-controlled, zero-emissions carts typically travel on sidewalks or the side of the road, and are tele-operated by trained remote drivers. The delivery cart can hold up to 150 pounds in four lockable containers that support ambient, chilled and frozen groceries.
ShopRite customers are alerted to the arrival of the order via a text message that can also be used to unlock the cart to unload groceries. The Tortoise delivery system is another contactless option for ShopRite customers, as ShopRite also offers online grocery delivery through a variety of last-mile providers.
ShopRite also recently began piloting a Vertical Lift Module (VLM) storage solution at a location in Kingston, N.Y., in an effort to enhance the store’s online shopping service. The VLM solution is an example of micro-fulfillment technology, which uses automated bots to retrieve grocery items from a compact storage center for streamlined picking.
The Vertical Lift Module increases storage capability by five times while reducing order errors and customer wait times. The system also increases slot capacity for stores with limited online shopping space.
“The QuickCollect Go Pod will make it even easier for our shoppers at the New Rochelle store to pick up their online orders,” said Steve Savas, president, Shop-Rite Supermarkets Inc. (SRS), which operates ShopRite stores in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the Hudson Valley and Capital Region in New York. “It’s self-checkout and pickup for online orders that’s done right outside the store. We are excited to be the first grocer on the East Coast with this technology.”
“Retailers like ShopRite recognize that consumer convenience and fulfillment efficiency are critical to the next level of e-commerce. Our data shows that consumers enjoy the convenience of this new individual automated curbside pickup with our QuickCollect Go Pod,” said Larry Blue.
ShopRite is a registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, N.J., and the largest supermarket cooperative in the U.S. Nearly 280 ShopRite supermarkets are located throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland.
