Between the Aisles: The Vending Machine Evolves

Here’s what you’ve might have missed in the last week or so:

Inside of the Grocery Mind of Amazon Leadership

Recode’s Jason Del Rey shares a revealing interview with Stephenie Landry, Amazon’s VP of Grocery. Learn how they handled their pandemic-powered growth. How Whole Foods challenges its omnichannel offerings. And their smart shopping cart that enables Amazon Go stores. Be sure to stay for the Q&A at the end.

My Take: The media might focus on Amazon’s technology advances. Landry reinforced their drive for consistency and quality of their delivery experience. Amazon’s drive for perfection is foolishly overlooked by most grocers.

The Vending Machine Evolves

Amazon isn’t the only company to corner checkout-free commerce. Those ugly glass food coffins have found their end. SF-based Standard partnered with the University of Houston to create Market Next. This micro convenience store offering the usual beverages, snacks, and sandwiches. The integrated app and a set of cameras will end your fear of wrinkled dollar rejections.

My Take: These white-labeled technologies put vending machines and corner bodegas on notice. I can’t wait for the startup that masters the beer, spirits, and wine retail space.

How Packaging Birthed Modern Grocery

I’m a big fan of Benjamin Lorr’s new book: The Secret Life of Groceries. If you want a taste of his storytelling savvy, check out the interview on Marketplace.

My Take: The evolution of an industry is always multifaceted. If books like the one above garner your attention, read The Box. This page-turner retells the evolution and impact of the humble shipping container.

Between the Aisles is a weekly quick read on relevant grocery and other retail industry news.

Between the Aisles: Farmstead Goes White

Here’s what you’ve might have missed in the last week or so:

Walmart Goes QR

Customers at 70 Sam’s Club locations will speed their time at the gas pump. With Scan & Go Fuel, customers won’t have to dig for their membership card. Users scan a QR code and select a payment method to activate the pump. They added Scan & Go four years in-store and expects to complete the rollout to 518 stores by yearend.

My Take: QR codes are a tired technology and often leveraged as a solution looking for a problem. That said, extending this feature to the pump might drive more adoption in-store.

Hardware Goes High Fashion

Lowe’s provided furnishings for virtual shows during New York Fashion Week. Three designers got free flooring and furnishings. The retailer also streamed their events streamed on its Twitter account. Result: Lowe’s scored a bulk of the social media mentions.

My Take: Beware of who you partner with as a brand. And I do hope these designers got a cut of Lowe’s online sales.

Farmstead Goes White

Local grocery startup Farmstead will white label their platform for US-base retailers. Rebranded as Grocery OS, their platform will manage inventory, orders, and delivery logistics. And they claim “National two-hour delivery.”

My Take: Developing internal technology and implementing externally are two very different tasks. This is especially true when your customers are tech laggards. And as a current Farmstead customer, I still can’t get groceries from them within two hours.

Between the Aisles is a weekly quick read on relevant grocery and other retail industry news.

How COVID-19 changed our food shopping.

This pandemic has changed many habits including the way we shop for groceries.

This is a great piece in the New York Times. We’re seeing online sales are up and people are making fewer trips. And yet I’m still surprised that item #1 hasn’t been leveraged well by any grocery chain.

This is required reading for everyone who’s in the retail and CPG industries.

READ: 7 Ways the Pandemic Has Changed How We Shop for Food