Albertsons Companies, a major grocery store that operates Safeway and Jewel-Osco, is a glow using a remote-controlled delivery robot developed by Silicon Valley startup Tortoise. Launched the Sally Delivery Pilot Program.
Delivery testing will begin at two Safeway stores in Northern California, but if successful, it could expand to other stores and test across the West Coast, said Tortoise co-founder and chairman Dmitry Shevelenko. Sheberenko) said.
Safeway branded delivery carts with Tortoise sensors and software can deliver goods to customers within three miles of the store. An operator remotely controlled from thousands of miles guides the delivery cart to its destination.
A delivery cart that can hold up to 120 pounds of grocery in four lockable containers will first be deployed with a human escort. If the exam goes well, we aim to eliminate such guides. When the delivery robot arrives, the customer receives a text message asking them to go out and pick up the grocery store.
This test is the latest example of a large retailer introducing technology to deliver products to customers faster. Amazon, Kroger, Walmart and others are also experimenting with delivery robots and using self-driving vehicles to deliver to customers or move goods within the delivery network.
“Our team is crazy about trying out innovative technologies that can provide even more convenience to our customers,” said Chris Rupp, Vice President and Chief Customer and Digital Officer, in a statement. .. “We are willing to quickly test, learn and implement breakthrough innovations to provide the industry’s easiest and most convenient shopping experience.”
This delivery test is also a testament to Tortoise’s entry into the delivery cart. This is the field that the company entered a little less than a year ago.
“I didn’t have this idea until April,” Sheberenko said in a recent interview. He launched the first delivery cart in Los Angeles in October 2020.
Related article: Remote-controlled delivery cart is active in a grocery store in Los Angeles
Tortoise started its business with electric scooters equipped with cameras, electronics and firmware so that remote operators in the distance can move electric scooters and bikes back to the rider and return them to the correct bicycle parking spot. In the spring of 2020, the new Coronavirus Pandemic created demand for delivery services, and Tortoise applied its technology to grocery shipping carts.
“After the launch of Amazon Prime and many people expecting delivery in two days, seven days feels like a’lifetime’.” Now that same-day delivery is expected, two-day delivery feels like a “lifetime”, she added.
Tortoise first focused on nearby stores and specialty brand stores through a partnership with an online grocery platform. Sheberenko’s strategy is to partner with major retailers while maintaining a partnership with an online commerce platform that can reach smaller, independent stores.