The out-the-door morning sprint for coffee and a donut will become even faster. That’s due to a pilot in the works at a California location for Dunkin’ in partnership with Mastercard’s Shop Anywhere solution.
C-stores have been the sweet spot for autonomous checkout that was pioneered in 2018 when Amazon Go opened its first store to the public in Seattle. Now other merchants and retail verticals are getting in on the act.
Mercator Advisory Group has been covering this topic for a few years, including an April 2020 report (Autonomous Checkout: Brick-and-Mortar Retail Goes Full Digital) about the market opportunities for both merchants and consumers alike. Re-aligned fast food and coffee shops can provide another opportunity for customers looking to avoid checkout lines, as well as to stay socially distanced with a contactless payment.
Last week, tech developer Grabango launched autonomous checkout with Pittsburgh-based grocery and C-store operator Giant Eagle. Watch for more in-store, self-checkout options as merchants take to the technology while stop-and-go consumers enjoy the time savings benefits.
The following excerpt from a Fox Business article reports more on the topic:
Americans running on Dunkin‘ can soon get their coffee and breakfast even faster. The Massachusetts-based coffee and doughnut chain is testing out an Amazon Go-style shop in California in October that lets customers walk in, grab coffee and donuts themselves without ordering or waiting in line to pay, according to a press release.
Dunkin’ is the latest in a number of fast-food chains, grocers and tech companies implementing contactless retail and drive-in only business models in the age of the coronavirus pandemic.
Customers will reportedly be able to shop at the contactless checkout location by downloading the Dunkin’ app and using a QR code displayed on phones to enter the test store location and access self-service areas for doughnuts and coffee.
Shoppers will get a notification with their digital receipt that can be viewed on the Dunkin’ app once they exit the store, similar to Amazon Go, where shoppers can browse for groceries and be charged on their phone via Amazon Prime. The automated self-service platform is called Shop Anywhere by Mastercard. Foodservice management company Delaware North and Circle K are also testing out the system.
Overview by Raymond Pucci, Director, Merchant Services at Mercator Advisory Group
