Pods allow fast, secure and contactless grocery pickup

KEASBEY, N.J. – ShopRite Supermarkets Inc. this week unveiled a free-standing pod at one if its stores in suburban New York where customers who shop online can pick up their groceries.

The temperature-controlled pod outside the ShopRite store in New Rochelle, N.Y., offers customers a self-service pickup experience that is fast, easy and contactless, according to ShopRite, a registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., the nation’s largest supermarket cooperative.

ShopRite says that the QuickCollect GO! POD revolutionizes online pickup with robotic automation that allows secure storage.

Retrieval can occur at any time, ShopRite says, with dispensation of the first totes starting within one minute. Customers use a unique pickup code to access their merchandise. The QR code is sent in a text message informing the shopper that the order is ready for retrieval.

The intuitive interface and consumer-focused designs facilitate contactless, fast and easy experiences, according to ShopRite, which is promoting the QuickCollect GO! POD as a key element in the grocer’s effort to drive trend progression and provide customers the convenience they expect from e-commerce.

“Retailers like ShopRite recognize that consumer convenience and fulfillment efficiency are critical to the next level of e-commerce,” says Larry Blue, president and chief executive officer at Bell and Howell.

“We are excited to be the first grocer on the East Coast with this technology,” adds Steve Savas, president of ShopRite Supermarkets, which operates about 280 stores in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York.