FAQ - Unattended shops

Yes. In the Nordics, the large supermarket chains haven't really jumped the unattended bandwagon yet because early unattended store solutions were targeted at single-store setups. If you need to run 50 or more unattended stores simultaneously, you need an enterprise-level setup that lets you monitor and manage all your unattended stores from a central office, and you also need an enterprise-level support solution to match. That's where a highly scalable solution like 52Unattended becomes interesting because it can help large chains embrace the attractive unattended store concept.

The project will depend heavily on building characteristics. If you need to construct a new building, you'll have a design and permit phase that can easily take six to nine months month on top of the actual solution installation. If the facility is in place, it'll take one month for planning and scoping, one month for professionals to install electricity, video surveillance, and door and gateway infrastructure, and one to two weeks for POS and access service configuration. That way, the answer can range from one to twelve months depending on construction complexity. For basic conversion of a small attended retail store with all required infrastructure already in place, it could be a matter of a few weeks, but don't underestimate planning and timing.

Because the unattended facility can vary from simply adding a gate service and a self-service POS in an existing store to building a new unattended facility from scratch on a non-developed location, making a general estimate is difficult.

Facility costs and costs of doors, gated areas, and fences are likely to be the biggest cost driver because the access portal SaaS solution and POS solution is fairly inexpensive. We are happy to support you with your case and we have a business case templates ready. Just reach out to us and we will be happy to assist. info@fiftytwo.com 

You need the following basics in place to calculate your business case:

• Cost of facility readiness
• Running monthly cost for electricity, SaaS fees, security, insurance, etc.
• Monthly cost of staff to maintain store (re-stocking, cleaning, etc.; can be as low as seven hours of labor per week)
• Your average coverage on your stock sales price (typically between 25%-40% in retail)

When you have these, you get the first indication of your daily break-even point. In various current projects we see, depending on investment size and complexity, daily break-even sales targets from 3.000-6.000 DKK (approx. 400-800 EUR) for small stores under 30 m².

Depending on factors like the location of your unattended store, whether you’re going to convert existing premises, etc., you may need planning permissions, building permits, fire safety approvals, environmental permits, or similar, just like you might if you planned to set up a regular store. Contact your local authorities for additional information. Note that permits aren’t always a hassle. For unattended stores, they may also be in your favor: In many countries or regions, unattended stores are technically viewed as vending machines, which can greatly simplify things for you as an unattended store owner because that fact might exempt you from having to accept cash, having to handle bottle deposit returns, having to offer customers the right to cancel or return their purchases, etc.

Just like you'll most likely be able to reuse all your current facility, you'll most likely also able to reuse any non-Fiftytwo POS if the following applies:

• Your POS must be a self-service unit and ready for use in an unattended store. It's not enough that it's an SCO (like you know from large food chains) because such SCOs need assistance from staff regularly.
• Your POS can be disconnected from the 52Unattended platform, but we recommend that your POS is able to communicate through an API and have the following service ready for maximum customer satisfaction. Required API calls:
  • Inject a campaign ID from 52Unattended for the customer to use loyalty functionality.
  • Deliver invoices on demand.

Your store needs the following as minimum:

• Electricity, preferably with different segments, so small shutdowns in a card reader doesn't provoke shutdown of freezers or coolers that could render articles unsellable. All solutions provided by Fiftytwo have automatic startup procedures after unscheduled or scheduled power outages.
• Network, preferably a dual network, such as a cable network and a cellular network, to create maximum redundancy because you'll need network for security, payment, and site surveillance at all times.

Optionally, water and sewage can be installed because most retailers need to provide hygiene facilities. This can, however, also be cared for by a hygiene station with either a tank option or hand sanitizers.

Yes, In the web-based 52Unattended management interface, you can monitor store use and sales in real time on an at-a-glance dashboard. You can also analyze customer trends, such as which days and times they visit your unattended store the most. If you need details, you can drill down to the individual timestamped events of a given customer session, such as entry, scanning of articles, payment, exit, and more. If you have several unattended stores, you can monitor and compare all your unattended stores in a single instance of the 52Unattended management interface.

Experience shows that unattended shops suffer less shrinkage than you’d expect. This is primarily because customers in unattended stores voluntarily accept an element of time-limited social control while shopping: They know that they’re known by the unattended store through their entry registration and their acceptance of the unattended store’s terms and conditions. Also, they know that the unattended store, and consequently their actions in the store, including which articles they select and which articles they pay for, is recorded by video cameras, so they tend to be on their best behavior. That said, theft does happen in most stores, including unattended stores, but if you apply a little psychology, for example by welcoming customers on entry with a display that greets them by their first name and shows their face on live video, the unattended store’s layout on live video, and the current time, you might well deter them from even contemplating theft. Should theft happen, you can easily provide information about who did it, when they did it as well as how they did it captured on video to the relevant authorities to help solve cases and bring perpetrators to justice quickly, which in turn will further deter theft. The same applies for any vandalism attempts.

52Unattended uses sensor technology to register doors or lids that have been open for longer than acceptable, refrigerated display temperatures above defined thresholds, etc. Sensors can automatically alert relevant staff when necessary, so that they can take action either remotely, by calling a local agent, or by going to the unattended store and fixing the problem themselves. Sensor technology often works with even low-budget video surveillance systems, so that you can use video to verify or reject reported sensor issues remotely, for example because the sensor alert you get includes video surveillance images.

Manually, which means that your unattended store will occasionally require staff attention in connection with re-stocking, removal of out-of-date or near-out-of-date articles, etc., just like it’s normal practice in regular stores. Many owners of unattended stores cherish the moments when they visit their unattended store to re-stock it, because that gives them the chance to meet and interact with their customers and listen to their requests, suggestions for new articles, etc. Note that the sales log in the unattended store’s management interface together with the unattended store’s video surveillance can greatly help you assess when it’s the optimal time to re-stock.

Electronic shelf labels are highly suitable and recommended for unattended stores because they easily let you update prices remotely.

With 52Unattended, shopping is so simple and easy that customers rarely need support, and 52Unattended offers user interfaces in several languages, so you can also accommodate customers who don’t speak your local language. To offer customers support during their shopping you have multiple options, from simply displaying a phone number for customers to call if they need support or using an intercom (like in elevators) to offering two-way video calls with a customer support team.

Advanced video surveillance systems can be set up to automatically detect objects, such as human bodies that don’t move or behave as if they’re ill. However, even with simple motion detection-based video surveillance systems, you can configure thresholds for periods of time with as well as without motion. This will help detect a customer who falls ill while they’re alone in the unattended store: When the customer enters the unattended store, they’ll generate motion. If the customer then passes out and falls to the floor, there’ll be no motion after a while. No motion is expected behavior when there’s no customer in the store, but in this case the system will know that there is a customer in the store because the access control system hasn’t registered that the customer has left. Longer periods of no motion when there’s a customer inside the store is unexpected behavior, so the system can automatically alert relevant people that there’s a possible emergency in the store, and responders can then use the video surveillance system to assess the situation and provide help when necessary.

Inside the store, there’ll be an emergency door opening mechanism by the exit door. If the child is too young to operate the emergency exit, the parent can use their registered card to enter the store again and help the child out. If the parent has left their card with the child inside the store, the parent can call (or get someone to call) the emergency number that’s prominently displayed inside as well as outside the store (as known from, for example, self-service gas stations).

To comply with GDPR, all customer data is stored on a secured network service, and only data relevant to the system, and for which the customer has granted their explicit consent, is stored in the system. If a customer wishes to leave the service, they can delete their profile at the kiosk service in the store. After a pre-communicated period of time for the store owner to investigate any wrongdoings, all the customer's personal data is then deleted from the system, while still following guidelines and legal requirements for financial transactions.

Yes, you can restrict sales of certain articles, for example energy drinks, alcoholic drinks, tobacco, or similar based on a customer’s age. Some unattended stores that sell such articles stock them in separate store areas that require age verification for access.

Yes, in the web-based 52Unattended management interface, you can manage the customers of your unattended store, that is edit their properties, allocate discounts to them, delete them, place them on a negative list of unwanted customers, etc.

Yes. First, customers who haven’t registered can’t enter a 52Unattended store. If a registered customer for some reason doesn’t live up to the agreed terms and conditions, you can revoke the customer’s right to access with immediate effect with the click of a button in the 52Unattended management interface. Technically, this will place the customer on a negative list and send a notification to the customer. If required, you can also delete registered customers.

Yes. For ultimate customer ease and flexibility, you can export relevant parts of your loyalty program database for integration into the 52Unattended store access database. That way, your loyalty program members are automatically registered to access and use the 52Unattended store and automatically get any loyalty benefits there too. If your loyalty program members aren’t validated through BankID/MitID, the system can be set up to ask them to validate the first time they use the unattended store. If you choose not to import loyalty program members, customers can register their existing customer club membership, or sign up for a customer club membership in case they don’t have one, when they register to get access to the 52Unattended store. In the simplest implementations, customers can scan their loyalty cards at checkout to get their benefits.

You don’t have to be a big chain with an advanced loyalty program to reward customers for their loyalty. For example, many villager-backed unattended stores in rural areas reward customers who have helped finance the unattended store through buying a small denomination villager’s share, by granting them permanent discounts or other benefits. This proves that you don’t necessarily need to set up advanced solutions for an unattended store to provide a great shopping experience that attracts and retains a loyal customer base.