So far, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have been able to generate the highest sales. However, the consequences of the pandemic, a change in purchasing behavior and other aspects such as sustainability, regionality, etc. are creating new players. At the German Fruit and Vegetable Congress 2021, go2market and TYPY food.de presented their ideas.
Jörg Taubitz presents go2market
Retail tested: go2market
The young company go2market started four years ago in Vienna. According to Jörg Taubitz, the guiding question behind it was: "Why do so many products fail before they had a real chance to prove themselves within retail?" Trying to answer this, the company offers the possibility of giving the industry a look through the eyes of the consumer, in other words: a product check through the eyes of the consumer. According to this, product testers would have the opportunity, on the one hand, to decide for themselves what should appear on the market in the future, and on the other hand, the industry can respond more specifically to the wishes of its customers.
Taubitz therefore describes go2market less as a supermarket and more as a kind of "market research laboratory" in which targeted questions are to be asked of consumers and corresponding points of sale established. In June 2020, the company opened a second store in Cologne. There are 6,500 members there so far, of which in turn around 2,650 are product testers. On the 400 m2 shelves, there are different products with up to five different varieties. A robot helps the product testers find their way.
More motivated due to the opportunity to participate
The principle behind it is quite simple: via an in-house app, product testers receive €55 in credit every month, which they can use to go shopping in the store. The difference compared to conventional supermarkets is that up to five different varieties of a product are offered, of which in turn only one can be purchased. This requires more conscious shopping. According to Taubitz, the test persons viewed this principle favorably. Of the testers, 80% are motivated to communicate their experiences and evaluations directly to the respective producers via questionnaires, as this allows them to be actively involved in shaping the product range and also to try out new products.
"We are talking here about a perfect target group analysis, which is fed by the representativeness of the assembled panel, which in turn represents a cross-section of society. This also allows valid statements to be made about overall purchasing behavior."
Retail in the future: Typy
Carlo Caldi of Campo Two Ltd presented Typy. Caldi's goal is to harmonize automation, digitization and robotization. Among many other challenges, he is particularly critical of the increasing shortage of skilled workers. According to Caldi, the answer to this in the future lies in mobility.
On the 116 m2 of the Typy stores, the assortment includes about 1,000 products that can be purchased 24/7 with the help of fully automated robotics. The focus is on convenience, freshness, speed and 24/7 availability.
Carlo Caldi presents Typy
Local Community Store
"We are always oriented towards the needs of people in the local environment. We think along the lines of Local Community Stores. In doing so, we must be able to optimally cover the course of the day," says Caldi.
Caldi also appeals to "Millenials and the Y-generation" to pay more attention, as they too are neglected by retailers. Caldi: "Look at the young people of the future! They want sustainability, transparency and freshness. These are the challenges that retailers have to face. The customer also has a 24/7 mindset these days."
In general, robotics has been very well received so far, although people still need to be better educated in this field, Caldi said. Fruits and vegetables have yet to be offered packaged, though there is already close collaboration with many local, regional growers. As the example of some online stores shows, more targeted interaction with customers is also needed, for example to respond promptly to reviews.
"Robotics will find its way into our lives, even if we don't like it, simply because we have a skills shortage. We see our opportunity in the mobility sector, especially in rural areas, because in some cases there is no longer any intact infrastructure there. We should work more closely together in Europe."
Tomorrow we will publish an article on the appearance of food.de Edeka Frische-Center Coburg, their concepts and positions.
For more information:
Jörg Taubitz
go2market GmbH
Aachener Str. 519
50933 Köln
E-Mail: office@go2market.at
Web: https://go2.markets/
Carlo Caldi
Campo TWO GmbH
Kaistraße 16
40221 Düsseldorf
E-Mail: support@typy.de
Web: https://www.typy.de/