Close Ad

The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart to use Robots for more Efficient Re-Stocking

Real world retail giant, Wal-Mart, announced today that it will deploy shelf-scanning robots in more than 50 of its stores to help make inventory management more efficient.

The robots are two feet tall with a telescoping tower outfitted with cameras and lights. As the robot passes down an aisle, it scans the shelves to see where items are low or gone, as well as if items have the correct pricing information or are mislabeled. This information is beamed back to employees who can re-stock.

Walmart Tests Automation to Scan Shelves, Free up Time

Wal-Mart tells Reuters that the robots are “50 percent more productive” than humans and can scan shelves three times faster than a person. With stats like that, it’s not hard to imagine that humans are on the way out at Wal-Mart.

The company says it wants to use robots for tasks that are “repeatable, predictable, and manual,” and insists that robots won’t replace human workers or affect headcount.

Sure, sure. For now.

Wal-Mart and Amazon are locked in a head-to-head battle over efficiency throughout their chain, and robots will play an increasingly large part in making sure consumers get what they want when they want it. Heck, Amazon even bought a robot company to help with this. Robots are just better for repetitive tasks like inventory management. They can be faster, more precise and not get injured. And they are only getting better.

In that context, the final shot of the promotional video Wal-Mart released about the shelf-scanner seems all the more creepy as human workers smile as they gather around their new robot co-worker.

The robots are coming, and the key will be creating new opportunities for humans that robots can’t replicate, or taxing companies that use robots to finance other jobs.

Will Amazon Key Open the Door to In-Home Delivery?

“I don’t think so.” That was my mother this morning upon reading that Amazon officially launched Key, its in-home delivery service. With Key, Amazon Prime members can have packages delivered directly inside their homes, rather than having boxes left out in the open on a porch or stoop.

For smart-kitchen fans, this means groceries or, one presumes, same-day meal-kit delivery, can be left in the safety inside your house. This sidesteps the issue of leaving food out in direct sunlight or other inclement weather, as well as preventing dastardly thieves who might abscond with unattended packages left outside.

That is, if you are comfortable letting complete strangers into your house while you are away.

Amazon Key - October 2017

We knew this was coming, and Amazon seems well aware of the immediate trust issues in-home delivery brings up and has gone to great lengths to put nervous nellies at ease.

First, Amazon Key only works with Amazon Key-smart locks ($199 – $249) and Amazon Key Cloud Cameras ($149 each). Amazon sends an alert to your phone the morning of delivery with a specific time window for your package’s arrival. Amazon tells you when the delivery van arrives so you can start watching the livestream of the person entering your house to monitor their activity. (You can watch a recording if you miss the delivery.)

Drivers are instructed to knock first, just to make sure they don’t accidentally walk in on someone. If no one answers, they request the door to unlock with their handheld scanner. Amazon verifies the package and delivery address and unlocks the door. No codes are given to the driver. The door is opened just enough to slide the package inside and the delivery person asks Amazon to relock the door. After which, you receive another notification that the package has been delivered.

If you live in an apartment building or have a front gate, it’s a little more complicated, but Amazon says you can securely share any necessary main entrance code via the Amazon Key app.

Amazon is hoping you’ll use this wholistic approach to remote entry to go beyond package delivery and bring other Amazon-related services directly into your home. According to the Key site, “In the coming months, Amazon Key will provide customers with a convenient way to provide unattended access to professional service providers. This includes services from home cleaning experts Merry Maids and pet sitters and dog walkers from Rover.com, as well as over 1,200 services from Amazon Home Services.”

Amazon’s announcement follows Wal-Mart’s announced partnership with August smart locks and Deliv to offer fridge-to-fridge delivery. And while both Amazon and Wal-Mart are definitely cognizant of the security concerns, they both sense a bigger opportunity. As we wrote previously:

According to a survey conducted by NextMarket Insights on behalf of Comcast/August Home in early 2016, about 30% of online consumers said they would give temporary access to a service professional such as a house cleaner or delivery person. While that’s well below a majority, it’s probably enough to encourage Amazon and Walmart that there’s a market for this.

Amazon Key is starting off is small, with availability in only 37 cities across the U.S..

Which brings me back to my mom. I don’t imagine people her age will plunge into letting complete strangers into their home, but that reluctance seems like it might fade with successive generations (plus, she’s retired and home more often). Personally, I’m skeptical, but after reading all of the measures Amazon has put in place, I might be willing to try it. I imagine younger generations for whom riding in a stranger’s car or staying at their house will be even more open to the idea.