Juxta's Micro-Autonomous Stores Gain Ground
Juxta, a technology venture by Vontier Corp., has secured a deal with a new retail partner after launching in August, according to a media release shared with the Path to Purchase Institute.
Juxta provides autonomous, pre-assembled micro-convenience stores dubbed “Nomad” that are unstaffed and portable. In September, the company exclusively told P2PI sibling brand Chain Store Age (CSA) first that it had partnered with Denver-based convenience retailer Choice Market to bring a Nomad store to the retailer’s home state.
[ALSO READ: Choice Market to Launch Juxta's Micro Autonomous Store]
Ahead of this launch, Choice Market brought a Nomad mini mart to the Renewal 2023 music festival in Buena Vista, Colorado. The Nomad was on full display as it served festivalgoers 24 hours a day during the event, from Sept. 21-24.
The first Choice Market Nomad micro-store will open at one of the retailer’s four Denver stores. (Choice Market also operates one c-store in Aurora, Colorado.)
Now, Juxta has formed a retail partnership with Golden Pantry Food Stores, which is headquartered in Watkinsville, Georgia. Golden Pantry’s first Nomad store will open in a repurposed factory located in Wire Park, Watkinsville. This modern, mixed-use development is an amalgamation of apartments, offices, restaurants, a micro-brewery and a multi-faceted events space, according to the release. Juxta says the integration of its autonomous store at such a location aims to “cater to the diverse footfall,” ranging from local residents to daily visitors, 24 hours a day.
“To be signing retail partners and fielding enquiries from some of the largest [electric vehicle (EV) original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)] in the world is validation of Juxta’s vision for the Nomad solution,” co-founder of Juxta, Om Shankar, said in the release. “Our solution mitigates [a multitude of] challenges in the retail segment, from real estate cost and utilization, squeezed profit margins, access to 24-hour service, labor shortages and staffing issues, including instant, simple and contactless pay, and quick set up, in any location, no matter how remote.”
He added: “Thanks to our smart, proprietary technology, Nomad offers a comprehensive suite of real time data, enabling operators to optimize their retail strategy and precision-target their customers, by stocking only high-demand items to reduce waste and maximize efficiency and profitability.”
The staff-free store, which spans a 264-square-foot interior, stocks between 500-600 “fast-moving, high-margin” items and gives shoppers the ability to purchase self-served food and drinks as well as snacks, fresh fruit, sandwiches and other items inside. The retailer can determine which product offerings it chooses to stock depending on each Nomad’s location and customer purchase data.
Inside the Nomad, shelf and cabinet sensors can instantly detect when an item is picked up, and a slew of cameras will anonymously identify by whom. The information is combined in the cloud to create a digital basket for each customer. If a family or group of shoppers enter the store, Juxta's AI technology will collate their purchases.
Where legislation permits, Juxta’s technology can also enable compliant retail of age-restricted items such as alcohol or cigarettes. Contained within specific age-verified fridges and dispensers, restricted items will only be released after cameras have confirmed the purchaser is of legal age. The technology will also have the scope to request and verify IDs, such as driver licenses, to confirm the purchaser’s age if necessary, on a large touchscreen before they exit the store.
Juxta Nomad stores were designed primarily to support operators of electric vehicle charging stations with a turn-key supplementary retail offering, but can also go beyond EV, as demonstrated with these latest partnerships in North America.