Retail Dialogues by Fiftytwo

The pros and cons of 24/7 unattended and hybrid shops

Unattended and hybrid shop concepts are gaining attention across the retail world. They offer retailers new ways to serve customers and manage operations, but they also present unique challenges. While some succeed and set new standards, others struggle to meet expectations.

Join us for a webinar where we explore what makes these shop formats work and the lessons we can learn from those who use them successfully.

10:00 - 11:00

February 4, 2025

Online

What we’ll cover in this episode of Retail Dialogues:

AI and customer convenience in grocery retail
Ralph Thomsen from Salling Group will explain how føtex GO and Scan&Go use digital tools to improve the shopping experience.
Hybrid shop models in practice
Christian Wenzzel will share insights from running hybrid stores that combine manned and unmanned operations, focusing on what works and what challenges arise.
Payment solutions for unattended retail
Thomas Toftkjær from Vipps MobilePay will discuss how advanced payment systems and access solutions support unattended shop formats.
Key challenges and opportunities: Learn how these shop models address customer expectations, automation, and security.

This session features industry leaders with hands-on experience, offering practical advice and lessons for anyone working with or considering unattended and hybrid shops.

Who is it relevant to?

This webinar is for anyone interested in unattended and hybrid shop models. Whether you’re exploring these concepts directly or looking for inspiration in retail operations, customer experience, or technology, you’ll find insights you can use.

Retail operations managers and store owners will learn how to run unattended shops efficiently.
Innovation and technology leaders will explore practical ways to implement these concepts.
Customer experience specialists will better understand how automation and surveillance affect shoppers and store workflows.

Agenda

Welcome and introduction to the speakers

How can retail chains identify the right concept for their business?

What kind of operational insights from store owners and customers do we know of?

What does the future hold for business models in hybrid and unattended shops?

How do customers perceive surveillance as part of the unattended shop experience?

Wrap-up and questions

Product Owner, Salling Group

Ralph Thomsen

Ralph Thomsen is Product Owner in the digital department of Salling Group, working with self-service solutions such as Scan&Go in Salling Group’s conventional stores and more recently the experimental, unmanned føtex Go! concept. His focus is on how digital tools can improve convenience for consumers in a grocery retail context.

Owner of AI Retail & multiple "Min Købmand" stores

Christian Wenzzel

Christian is running AI Retail, a company focused on creating the future retail application landscape, at the same time operating multiple small retail stores in Denmark. This sets him apart from almost everybody else in the market, that he can put his applications to use immediately and also get the immediate response from the market and the customers.

Christian is dedicated to finding the optimal "Hybrid store", a partly manned, partly unmanned store, with a positive business case and a good user experience.

Tech & Design, Engineering Lead, Vipps MobilePay

Thomas Toftkjaer

Thomas Toftkjaer, with a Computer Science background from Aarhus University and experience as an Associate Professor in positioning, brings over 10 years of expertise in instore payments at Vipps MobilePay. He has worked as a developer, product manager, and business developer and now leads Tech & Design for Large Customers, overseeing products like Customer Club Instore, Instore Account Payments, and Recurring Payments.

Thomas will share insights at the intersection of business, product, and technology in instore payments.

Director of Innovation, Fiftytwo

Mikkel Groth-Andersen

The webinar will be facilitated by Mikkel Growth-Andersen, Fiftytwo’s Director of Innovation. With over 20 years of experience in designing software and customer processes, Mikkel specializes in tackling tomorrow’s challenges by driving practical and affordable retail innovation.

Mikkel's focus is on delivering clear and tangible benefits that enhance the end-user experience while streamlining retailers’ daily operations.