STORE SPOTLIGHT
Welcome to the Neighborhood Loop Neighborhood Market debuts a completely autonomous c-store and gas station By Danielle Romano
transformation sweeps the convenience channel, an autonomous experience is no longer a nice-to-have, but a need-to-have if retailers want to keep pace with consumers’ changing lifestyles and needs.
AS A DIGITAL
At a Glance Loop Neighborhood Market NanoStore Location: 2029 S. Bascom Ave., Campbell, Calif. Size: 160 square feet Unique features: Completely autonomous; equipped with the AiFi Autonomous Store Platform and based off the company’s modular NanoStore template; a Shell gas station; a range of healthy options and life essentials; a welcoming atmosphere
That is why in its quest to deliver a satisfying, enjoyable and convenient experience, Loop Neighborhood Market introduced a totally autonomous convenience store and gas station in one of the technology capitals of the world: Silicon Valley. The San Francisco-based retailer tapped artificial intelligence (AI) technology company AiFi Inc. for its AiFi Autonomous Store Platform. Based on AiFi’s modular NanoStore template, the autonomous Loop Neighborhood Market clocks in at just 160 square feet. The store provides customers with an autonomous solution in a fun and engaging small store footprint. The format also enables the location to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “The new autonomous Loop Neighborhood is a wonderful step forward for our store brand. The fast, frictionless process is delightful and helps customers get what they need to move on with their day,” said Varish Goyal, president of Loop Neighborhood Market. “We’re thrilled to
be introducing this new approach to our customers and working with AiFi to make that happen.”
Nano in Size, Big on Offers Described as the missing link between a convenience store and a vending machine, and touted as the fastest vehicle to open an autonomous store, AiFi’s NanoStore debuted in 2019. The Loop Neighborhood Market in Silicon Valley is AiFi’s first gas station collaboration. In total, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based technology company has deployed 10 autonomous stores to date — including NanoStores and traditional convenience store formats — second only to Amazon Go, according to Steve Gu, co-founder and CEO of AiFi. How it works is AiFi has a template shopping app that retailers can choose to label as their own. Under the hood, AiFi has an API that links to all payment methods, including a retailer’s own payment apps, the common payment methods of debit card and credit card, and all contactless payment methods including Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. When one or more customers enter
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