Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
clear sky
weather
OMAN
25°C / 25°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Wheelys 247: Meet Shanghai’s unmanned, high-tech retail store

970206
970206
minus
plus

Wheelys just opened their unmanned retail store in Shanghai. The Swedish start-up opened their store doors before Amazon Go brings the new retailing craze to China. It’s very likely that many still find the idea of an unmanned retail store as something that’s a little too futuristic and unnerving. It is happening right now, though. Companies are already tackling the idea of various unique shopping experiences for their customers from drone delivery to quick home shopping. The most popular of which is Amazon Go. They, however, could find themselves in a battle with a pretty savvy Swedish start-up that has now set up a store in Shanghai.


If you’re still unfamiliar with the concept, Wheelys is a new kind of store that has no need for a checkout counter. In fact, they have almost no need for employees at all. You simply take what you need to get from the store, scan it with the accompanying app on your smartphone, and leave. There is no need for lines or checkouts. You simply take what you need and go.


Wheelys is a start-up that has been running their test stores in their home base, Sweden, for quite some time now. The idea is to push the boundaries of technology to create a fully unique and quick shopping experience. It is the success of their test stores in Sweden that have given them the opportunity to expand their territory and set up shop in busy Shanghai. Their 500-square-feet stores offer a variety of products including meals and various grocery items. They even have Wheelys Meal Kits, which are chef-designed kits that has all the complete ingredients for a quick home-cooked meal.


With a simple download of the Wheelys App, any customer with a pre-registered credit card can enjoy the perks of shopping convenience. The store’s high-tech concept means that the store can be operated without any staff apart from a few to stock the shelves with more products at certain periods. Wheelys’s success is already being recognized so much so that they have been listed as one of Inc.com’s top companies to watch in 2017. If you’re not convinced, well, Wheelys is very proud to say that their high-tech store opened in Sweden a year before Amazon even opened their test stores.


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon