Young people, night shopping, average spending of 2,000 forints in two minutes – this is how Auchan GO was launched, which became the Automated Store of the Year

During the pilot period, the store’s turnover is increasing slightly slower than expected, but in the long term, Auchan expects the interest of residents and customers in the area to gradually increase. The busiest periods are weekends and public holidays, when shops in the area are closed. People regularly shop at the vending machine at night, between 00:00 and 03:00, especially during the summer, when traffic shifted to the evening hours.

The unmanned store basically attracts the younger generation: more than 80% of customers are under 40. The average basket value is around 2,000 forints, but returning customers are bringing more and more products, and there have been baskets consisting of more than 15 products. The best-selling categories are non-alcoholic beverages and basic foodstuffs such as milk, cold cuts, cheese, oil and flour. The range is otherwise adjusted to customer needs, from ice cream in the summer, to a wider selection of pizzas when the weather gets cooler.

Customer feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Visitors to the store appreciate the AI-based, fast and unmanned shopping experience, but several have asked about data protection. Auchan’s response in this regard is reassuring, as they always act in accordance with legal requirements. More than 50 employees participated in the design of the store, while the operational operation is carried out by the Albertfalva store.  According to initial experiences, using the digital application was initially challenging, so Auchan created additional educational materials and further developed the application to make shopping simple and fast. First purchases now take an average of 5 minutes, while returning customers finish in the store in just 2 minutes. There were no power outages during the pilot, and minor internet problems were resolved with transceiver development. The system was able to identify unregistered purchases and abuses, which were handled in cooperation with the police.

It is also clear that Auchan GO has become a point of orientation for the residents of the area. According to preliminary surveys, the store is actively used by athletes and families in the park, especially since the company has also made the store’s surroundings tidy and green. This is also why they have received more requests to open new units, mainly in logistics and industrial parks. The pilot period is planned for one year, during which the entire operation will be optimized and error correction processes will take place.

“We have invested a lot of work in Auchan GO and we still have a lot of work to do in fine-tuning the operation, but its reception is encouraging. This is also underlined by the award we have just won, which we are very proud of. Auchan GO, with its 18 square meters, is one extreme of our store portfolio, the other is our 15 thousand m² hypermarket in Dunakeszi. These two stores are a good example of how we will try to respond to the most diverse customer needs in the future, also in terms of store types”

– said Géza Vincze, Managing Director of Auchan Hungary.

The initial period of Auchan GO confirmed that the fast, A convenient, 24/7 shopping solution creates long-term value for both customers and retailers, which was recognized by the industry with the Automated Store of the Year award at the Trade Magazine competition.