Even though more and more stores and restaurants are opening up, customers have become conditioned to remain concerned about potential coronavirus transmission fears. With late winter/early spring being the traditionally high season for upper respiratory infections — whether it be COVID-19 or another flu-like virus — retail businesses have thankfully prepared for any customer angst by utilizing ingenious touchless methods to ensure safety and health. Be on the lookout for retail chains to continue implementing new technological advances in the future in order to provide contactless and cleanliness measures.
In January, Walmart revealed that it will test pilot the use of smart boxes on customers’ porches in order to deliver perishables 24 hours a day. Working with HomeValet, the company that created the temperature-controlled box, Walmart will be able to deliver cold groceries in a contact-free manner and leave items in the box even if the customer is not at home. These boxes have three separate temperature-controlled options to store either frozen items, refrigerated goods or room temperature pantry products. The smart box is also able to disinfect the interior of the box in between deliveries by using Ultraviolet C LED light. The trial-run will take place this spring for customers in Bentonville, Ark., near Walmart’s headquarters. The smart boxes will be available for pre-ordering by mid- to late 2021. Walmart is the first retailer to use the HomeValet smart boxes, but other major grocery brands could follow in their footsteps.
The Midwestern supermarket chain Hy-vee was the first grocery store to adopt the Sterile Cart technology in at least 200 of its stores last November. The technology, in which shopping carts are pushed through a six foot by four foot compartment that then emits an automated disinfectant sanitizing spray which can clean two carts per second and eliminates the need for customers or employees to manually wipe the carts themselves. The hospital-grade disinfectant kills 99% of germs and viruses.
In September of 2020, Burger King revealed its plan to roll out two new futuristic “Restaurant of Tomorrow” prototypes. Both restaurant designs will feature both curbside pickup and locker pickups for mobile orders. One of the designs, called the “Next Level,” will offer a completely touchless experience for drive-thru customers. The dining room and kitchen will be on the second level above the drive-thru area, and a conveyer belt will deliver the completed order directly to the car’s driver through the lane’s pickup spot. The configuration features three different drive-thru spots, one of which is solely for delivery drivers. This design, expected to be about 1,400 s.f., is specifically meant for car-heavy urban environments, and the first version is slated to show up in Miami by early to mid-2021. The restaurant is also going to test out another prototype, called the “Your Way” concept, that features a walk-up window in addition to two drive-thru lanes for takeout orders.
