California-based digital transformation company UST is helping Nourish + Bloom Market build a frictionless grocery store in Feyetteville, Georgia, USA.

UST has provided an end-to-end technology and project management services for implementing a hybrid frictionless check-out store. The store results from the collaboration of three technology companies – Hitachi Vantara, Shekel Brainweigh and UST – who have partnered to create an innovative and advanced system for the retail world. The partnership with UST will allow Nourish + Bloom Market to build more than 500 stores in the USA.

“The idea of the store occurred to us during the pandemic,” said Jilea Hemmings, CEO of Nourish + Bloom Market. “We wanted to provide for customers where they wouldn’t have to wait in line or touch anything while checking out. With UST’s help, we have successfully created a hybrid autonomous technology to offer that and combat food insecurities in underserved communities. We are confident that this technology will change how customers shop in the next three to five years.”

UST has developed the autonomous store in a box that has entire retail backoffice software, bistro module and integration services for diverse systems, making shopping frictionless. The store uses UST Vision Checkout for large merchandise assortment outside the autonomous store.

Vision Checkout is a self-checkout PoS that uses computer vision to identify SKUs. Along with this, voice and gesture AI technology leads to a three-times faster checkout experience for customers of Nourish + Bloom. Vision Checkout also has barcode scanning and touch screen functionality that takes care of specific merchandise sections such as age-restricted products, frozen assortment, and fruits and vegetables as well as bistro.

Nourish + Bloom has also deployed Scan & Go for specific events and customer types. UST has provided Product Box that facilitates quick onboarding of SKUs requiring computer vision training. Cold Truth provides IoT-based, real-time food temperature measurement at shelf level that improves store operational efficiency.

N+B has deployed UST’s Store as a Media digital display in the bistro section. It has dynamic content display capability and comes with monetisation opportunities by providing audience analytics.

The entire hardware and software design of Vision Checkout, Product Box and Cold Truth are UST proprietary technology.

The entry to the autonomous section is enabled by the UST-built customer mobile app via scanning a QR code on the entrance turnstile. The items selected by consumers are automatically added to a virtual shopping cart tracked via lidar, and the information is sent to backend software built by UST.

UST has also built the complete ecommerce application for N+B, helping make it the first autonomous store operator in North America that offers coffee and bistro subscription services apart from delivery subscriptions. Further, the system is integrated with robots from Dax for last-kilometre delivery.

“The store uses UST Vision Checkout for large merchandise assortment outside autonomous store,” said Subhodip Bandyopadhyay, general manager at UST. “Vision Checkout is a self-checkout PoS that uses computer vision to identify SKUs. Along with this, voice and gesture AI technology leads to a three-times faster checkout experience for customers of Nourish + Bloom. Hybrid autonomous store technology uses Intel’s edge-optimised technology infrastructure and uses multiple Microsoft technologies including Azure Cloud.”

Safety, nutrition and sustainability are the cornerstones of N+B’s business model. Customers can now shop without checkout queues and have round-the-clock access to real food and environmentally friendly household supplies. Delivery robots named Nourish and Bloom can also deliver products in temperature-controlled compartments right at the customer’s doorstep.

Nourish + Bloom Market’s first store at 300 Trilith Parkway, Fayetteville, Georgia, is now open. The store is approximately 140m² and stocks more than 1500 SKUs. It offers items such as produce, meats, baked goods, dairy and prepared meals, alongside everyday grocery items with no checkout. The bistro offers freshly prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner items, including sandwiches, salads and healthy rice bowls. Priority is given to local brands to reduce the carbon footprint.

“UST’s hybrid autonomous store will help N+B scale faster, cheaper and better and provide significant RoI necessary for further expansion,” said Keith Pickens, general manager at UST. “We are proud to partner with N+B in its endeavour to become the most loved emerging retailer in North America.”

The automated product recognition is performed by Shekel’s technology, based on patented IoT load sensors, AI models and machine-learning algorithms. Hitachi’s 3D lidar technology monitors customers and links products to their shopping cart without compromising privacy.