Defining the unattended retail experience

SUCCESSFUL AMERICAN frozen yoghurt parlour, Reis & Irvy, will open 30 new locations throughout San Diego County with fully autonomous robotic delivery.

The robots can dispense servings of frozen yogurt, ice cream, gelatos and sorbet topped with a selection of six toppings in under 60 seconds. With self- checkout touch screen ordering and payment options, video animation and music, the company believes its robot vendors meet consumer demand for convenience, entertainment and a superior quality product. The franchise – which costs up to USD595,900 with an Initial Franchise Fee of up to USD60, 000 – considers it is challenging the status quo in food retail by catering to this generation’s expectations of immersive, entertaining and on- demand shopping experiences. New franchisee, US golfing personality Steve Loy, said he had seen the development of Reis and Irvy’s over the last eight months and become intrigued with the advancement and benefits of robotics that enhanced the delivery of quality products to the consumer while reducing overhead cost. He and his franchise partner said that the ability to deliver a quality product and disrupt food retail was exciting.

Since its debut, Reis & Irvy’s has grown to over 235 franchisees across the U.S. and represents over 1,100 pending robot installations aggregating over USD45 million, with additional contract commitments for 2,300 robots worth an estimated USD130m in potential future revenues for Generation NEXT Franchise Brands, owner of Reis & Irvy.

John Bird, new- retail reality writer for Forbes business magazine, said the new arms race in retail was unattended retail storefronts. “With their speed, flexibility and improved customer experience. they are the future of retail. Brands like McDonald’s are successfully innovating their customer experience and “it will change forever the landscape” of casual dining, with “Gen-Xers, millennials, and successive generations already used to a computer interface for making most of their daily choices,” he stated. generate a QR code for customers to scan using their Coinbase wallet on their mobile device.