In Italy, the first fully automated store, controlled by artificial intelligence, opened. It’s called “Prendi&Vai!” and is part of the Conad supermarket chain. It is the first store on the peninsula that allows customers to select, buy products and pay without going through the cashier, putting everything directly in the bag.
Inside the store there are sensors that detect any movement, and payment for purchases is made by debiting electronic cards.
The store is equipped with a “computer vision technology”, consisting of cameras that monitor the entire perimeter. Thus, the customer is tracked from the moment he enters the store until he leaves, and the products are identified with the help of artificial intelligence.
To provide a second verification, there are also sensors on each shelf that detect the change in weight every time a customer picks up a product to put it in the shopping cart.
“It is a supermarket dedicated to those who want to do their shopping quickly, without wasting time in queues and which raises the level of service”, said Massimo Volpe, co-founder of Retail Hub.
In the store in Verona, seven people have been employed so far who, instead of passing the barcodes at the checkout, can help the consumer in choosing their products.
The format has already been successfully tested in Lisbon and Brazil, "where there has been a reduction in theft because everyone who enters is monitored and even if they hide products under their clothes, they are all detected by the network of cameras and the exit scanner”, explains Volpe.
“Prendi&Vai!” is located in Via Stella 8 in Verona and is open from Monday to Sunday from 7.30am to 10pm.
“It’s a neighborhood store, designed both for a regular customer, who mainly uses the app, and for an occasional customer, who uses electronic payment cards instead, without having to download anything to the phone,” adds Massimo Volpe.
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