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.
What Is Wheelys 247?
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
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. They are a pretty strong team too when it comes to their competition, as they're not afraid to say that Amazon has simply been copying their concept.
On their website is a set of questions that aim to fully explain Wheelys 247 in the best possible way that they can. Before anyone can point out that the set of questions sounds similar to how Amazon would likely present their own product, Wheelys already got that covered:
"Since Amazon is trying to copy our store- concept, we've borrowed a few questions from them. While their stores need some work, they are not at all bad at copywriting!"
Though the store is in Shanghai, it's very likely that we will see just how this company will take their competition head on.
