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Giant Eagle pilots checkout-free platform

Tech partnership marks a first for large grocery chain

Russell Redman

July 17, 2019

3 Min Read
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Giant Eagle has begun testing checkout-free technology from Grabango in what the companies said represents a first-of-its-kind partnership for a big supermarket retailer.

Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle said yesterday that Grabango’s no-wait checkout platform has been deployed at a Giant Eagle store, and multiple applications of the payment technology are being tested. They include an app-based solution and another that “allows the customer to pay with any tender they choose,” the companies said.

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The partnership with Giant Eagle, which also operates GetGo convenience stores, will enable Grabango to test its platform in large and small retail settings.

Grabango’s system works as follows: Customers enter the store and start shopping as normal. Computer vision and machine learning technology track products selected by each customer, and a running total of the items each shopper takes is tallied as they proceed through the store. Customers can opt-in for coupon offers and/or product information as they shop. When finished, shoppers pay via the smartphone app and exit the store. They also can choose to pay the traditional way at the cashier. As they leave the store, customers can opt to receive digital receipts, which can be accessed as far back as a year.

“Giant Eagle is committed to advancing technologies that create an improved, stress-free shopping experience for our customers while still protecting their privacy,” Dan Donovan, director of corporate communications at Giant Eagle, said in a statement. “In Grabango, we have found a partner who shares our commitment and who can help us bring this enhanced experience to life.”

Related:‘Hey, BeerVan!’: Giant Eagle kicks off beer delivery service

Berkeley, Calif.-based Grabango, founded in 2016, noted that its automated checkout streamlines the payment process to reduce congestion and “virtually eliminate” lines, particularly at peak times. In addition, the company said, shoppers don’t have to pass through a turnstile (as at an Amazon Go store) or pay for a membership to use the system.

“Grabango’s platform has been deployed at a Giant Eagle retail location, and together we are optimizing the system in preparation for commercial service,” Andrew Radlow, chief marketing officer for Grabango, said in a blog post yesterday. “This partnership represents the first checkout-free technology partnership for a large grocery retailer for existing store locations in the United States.”

With annual sales of $8.9 billion, Giant Eagle operates 216 grocery stores under the Giant Eagle, Market District, Market District Express and Giant Eagle Express banners plus 258 convenience/fuel locations under the GetGo and Ricker’s banners in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.

Related:Giant Eagle tests shelf-scanning robots

Radlow said Giant Eagle’s multiple retail formats make it “an ideal development partner” for testing Grabango’s solution. “First, the range of store sizes under one banner — 3,000-square-foot GetGo convenience stores to Market District supermarkets greater than 100,000 square feet — makes for an ideal proving ground for Grabango’s enterprise-class technology,” he explained. “Second, Giant Eagle’s accomplished technology team firmly controls the technology that operates in their 474 retail locations and is capable of rapid deployment throughout the operation.”

For retailers, the platform also provides improved business information and analytics, since the entire store — including every product — is digitized for assessment and optimization, according to Grabango. That includes a time-stamped database of all shopping events, which can help retailers better manage their business and operations, the company said. All data is anonymized to protect customer privacy.

Grabango and Giant Eagle expect that once customers try the technology, its convenience will sway them to come into the store even when they know it’s busy. They cited a recent Forrester Research study finding that U.S. grocery shoppers’ top complaint is waiting in line at checkout.

“Giant Eagle has been a fantastic partner on this groundbreaking project,” commented Will Glaser, founder and CEO of Grabango and a co-founder of the Pandora Radio music streaming service. “We are excited to be announcing our first checkout-free partnership with a major U.S. retailer. Together, we are offering a technology that is seamless and equitable for all.”

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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