REWE has opened Europe's largest computer vision-supported store on an area of over 1,200 square metres. The centrepiece: hybrid shopping with cashless payment options.
Now that the internal test phase has been completed, all customers can benefit from the technology in the store. The new Pick&Go test store in the Hoheluft West district of Eimsbüttel sets new standards in terms of technological complexity and customer service. Customers can choose between four ways to pay for their purchases: Cashierless using Pick&Go via app, by scanning and paying at the self-checkout terminal, via computer vision support without scanning at the self-checkout terminal or in the traditional way at the cash register.
REWE Pick&Go uses state-of-the-art camera and sensor technology to record purchases securely and in a data-saving manner and, if desired, automatically settle them after leaving the store without a checkout process. With over 1,200 square metres of sales space, the REWE store in Hoheluftchaussee has a range of around 20,000 items, deposit machines, a sushi selection and extended payment options.
Pick&Go system now also at the service counter for the first time
A special highlight is that the Pick&Go system now also covers the service counter for the first time. Here, customers have the opportunity to buy fresh meat, cheese and sausage products in a relaxed atmosphere with personalised advice, without having to wait at the checkout afterwards.
Shopping in record time - plus advice and service
There was a great deal of interest in the technology when the store reopened following the remodelling and installation of the technology: "We answered a lot of questions from our regular customers about the future payment options. The excitement was correspondingly high, as there wasn't much to show live in operation yet. It was also an exciting time for us in the store," explains Store Manager Joschua Zimmermann. "By relieving customers in the checkout area, we as a store team also have new tasks and more freedom for advice, product range maintenance and service. We use the time for what makes us strong - being there in person." The size of the team will not change: as is usual for stores of this size, around 48 employees will be working at the Hoheluftchaussee store.
High-tech stronghold Hamburg at the forefront of the test concept
With the launch of the test store in Hamburg, REWE is taking the next logical step in computer vision support in supermarkets. This is made possible by the technology already tested in the Pick&Go stores in Cologne, Berlin, Munich and Düsseldorf, which was initially reserved exclusively for Pick&Go app users. In Hamburg, all customers can decide how they want to pay and leave the store while shopping. If they use the new computer vision-assisted shopping at the self-checkout terminal, one click is all it takes for the virtual shopping basket to be prepared and displayed. Customers only have to pay at the terminal in the conventional way. When using the Pick&Go app at the exit, this trip to the terminal and the manual payment process are no longer necessary.
Hamburg gets more: Pick&Go to launch twice after the summer
Hamburg will be the first and so far only city in Germany to have two REWE Pick&Go test stores. Following the launch in Hoheluftchaussee, the second location is already in the starting blocks: Just two kilometres away at Altonaerstraße 67 / corner of Amandastraße, the system will also be available to all customers after the summer on a sales area of over 900 square metres. The store was reopened in mid-June after being remodelled and is currently in test operation.
