How Curbside Kiosks Reduce and Optimize Labor

Cantaloup’s Smart Store 600 and 700 machines can be installed in grocery stores to sell high-demand products and fresh foods.

Technology company Cantaloupe, Inc. has expanded its line of self-serve vending machines designed to provide shoppers with a convenient in-store option while helping retailers address challenges related to labor, shrinkage and theft. Part of Cantaloupe’s Smart Store series, the new Smart Store 600 and 700 models can be used to provide both fresh and shelf-stable items.

Self-service vending machines are installed in a variety of businesses, including corporate offices, residential buildings, hotel pantries, grocery stores, and mass retail stores. The units use weighted shelves and cameras to monitor inventory and feature interactive touchscreens, audio assistance and visual cues to help shoppers choose the items they want.

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Jeff Dumbrell, chief revenue officer at Cantaloupe, said kiosks can generate new sales opportunities for grocers also looking to optimize their operations. “We have a strong focus on working with retailers and vending operators. We provide them with cloud hardware and software and also process credit and debit transactions on their behalf,” he told Progressive Grocer in a recent interview. “One of the persistent problems among retailers is theft. Smart Store significantly reduces shrinkage. We had a customer who went from 12% theft to 0%.