Food Marketing professionals never take a
break, and they are always looking a customer ahead. Global CPG retailer Unilever is actively
targeting Generation Alpha. So just who
is Generation Alpha? They are the children
of Generation Y, and often the younger siblings of Generation A. More that 2.5 million are born globally ever
week. When they all have been born (between
2010- 025) the will number almost 2 billion and they will be the largest
generation in the history of the world.
Steven Johnson, Grocerant
Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice
Solutions® believes “CPG food retailers and fast-food restaurant chains are
all looking for ways to get their ‘hooks’ brands in the minds-eye of the
parents and Generation Alpha early and often and Unilever looks as if they are hitting all
of the right messages to build the bridge that is comfortable for both the
parents and kids.
It’s at the intersection of technology
and frozen treats that you can find Unilever’s
new Ice Cream Robomart. It will enable
consumers to use an app to summon a vehicle housing an automated store and have
it arrive in minutes at their location.
That’s right, an automated “store on
wheels” platform Robomart has partnered with
CPG giant Unilever to deploy a fleet of robotic vehicles for ice cream delivery
this summer.
Santa Monica, Calif.-based Robomart said yesterday that its mobile
mini-marts will carry ice cream and novelties from brands such as Ben &
Jerry’s, Breyers, Good Humor, Magnum and Talenti available through Unilever’s “The Ice Cream Shop”
virtual storefront.
In a Battle for Share of Stomach
You Can Win
“We’re excited to work with Unilever —
the world’s largest ice cream maker — to pilot The Ice Cream Shop as one of the
flagship storefronts on our new marketplace,” Robomart
CEO and co-founder Ali Ahmed said in a statement. “Putting a spin on the
classic ice cream truck by bringing it to consumers on demand, we have
pioneered a new way for everyone to get their favorite ice cream treats in as
little as two minutes. This rollout brings to life the original vision my
co-founder and I had over a decade ago while working at Unilever to create ‘The
Everywhere Store,’ the fastest and most accessible way to get all your
essentials.”
The mobile mini-marts will carry ice
cream and novelties from brands such as Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Good Humor,
Magnum and Talenti available through Unilever’s “The Ice Cream Shop” virtual
storefront.
Consumers hail The Ice Cream Shop
Robomarts to their location using Robomart’s proprietary mobile app and
patented one-tap grocery ordering technology. When the vehicle arrives,
customers swipe across the app to open the vehicle’s door. The Robomart then
lets users handpick their selected products and walk away without physically checking
out or swiping a credit card.
Robomart noted that its platform stands
out in the online delivery realm by bringing the store directly to homes,
eliminating the need for consumers to shop on a website, fill a basket, check
out with a credit card, select a delivery window and communicate with delivery
staff.
Russel Lilly, general manager for
Unilever North American Ice Cream, stated, “We’re thrilled to partner with
Robomart to offer a new way to bring our virtual store, The Ice Cream Shop, to
fans in Los Angeles in an innovative way,”... “Our pilot program with Robomart
is revolutionizing ice cream delivery for consumers and making it even faster
to get our beloved brands to our ice cream fans. What better way to shop
for your favorite ice cream than just a few steps from your front door?”
In cae you did not know, the Pharmacy
Robomart offers health and personal care items such as shampoo, hand sanitizer
and ibuprofen, while the Snacks Robomart serves up chocolate, chips, soft
drinks and other ready-to-eat snack items. Slated to debut in the coming
months, the company said, is a Grocery Robomart offering fresh produce and
refrigerated products as well as Deli (meals) and Café (coffee and doughnuts)
Robomarts.
Currently, Robomart’s vehicles include
human drivers, but plans call for the company to add self-driving vehicles as
it fine-tunes the autonomous technology and as local regulations permit. Ahmed
has indicated that Robomart is open to partnerships with grocery chains, which
would lease the vehicles and stock them. In early 2019, Northeastern grocer
Stop & Shop announced a pilot of Robomart’s autonomous vehicle in Boston.
Invite Foodservice
Solutions® to complete a Grocerant ScoreCard, or for product positioning or
placement assistance, or call our Grocerant Guru®. Since 1991 Foodservice
Solutions® of Tacoma, WA has been the global leader in the
Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869
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