Carrefour : A first automated food drive in Belgium

Carrefour Belgium has just launched the fully automated drive - a first for Belgian retail. The advantage is that it can be installed right where customers live, it is accessible 7 days a week, and customers can pay for their shopping using the Bancontact app or with their online banking service.

Carrefour Belgium decided to take advantage of the temporary closure of its Mont-Saint-Jean hypermarket during its transformation - they didn't want to stop providing their customers with optimum service, and so they launched a new type of drive: the fully automated drive. The outlet is a wall of metal lockers, some of which are refrigerated. They can accommodate nearly 50 orders per day and contain both dry and fresh products.

Pick-up seven days a week
Although more and more customers shop online, some are afraid that they won't be able to get to the drive outlet to pick their shopping up at the time they've selected. The fully automated drive is the solution to this problem.

How does it work?
Customers visit www.carrefour.eu/waterloo and order from some a selection of some 17,500 items and a whole assortment of local products that are available. When they confirm their order, they can choose between two pick-up periods:
- Either the next day between 11 AM and 3 PM
- Or the next day between 4 PM and 11 PM.

Note that in actual fact, customers can pick up their orders after 11 PM. And orders submitted on Friday to be picked up the next day between 4 PM and 11 PM can also be picked up on Sunday. However, orders submitted on Saturday will only be available for pick-up from Monday onwards.

The drive 2.0 era
Once they have submitted their order, it is prepared and placed in one or several lockers (if the order is made up of both dry products and products that need to be kept fresh) at the automated drive outlet. The customer then goes to pick up their shopping during the slot they have specified. They identify themselves using a code sent them by SMS, they scan the QR code displayed on the screen and then pay for their shopping using the Bancontact app or their online banking service.
As soon as their payment has been accepted, the locker or lockers containing their orders open and the customer leaves with their shopping. They receive a breakdown of their order and a receipt. No more terminals, fiddling around with bank cards and wasted time. Everything is automatic, fast, practical, safe and comfortable.

Made-to-measure for Carrefour
The automated drive was designed specifically for Carrefour Belgium by the refrigeration specialist which usually provides its stores with refrigeration services. The 'wall' of lockers can be moved using a lorry to locations near where customers live. In Mont-Saint-Jean, this 'replacement' drive is located in the store's car park. Customers will be able to start picking up their shopping on 7 May. Customers who submit orders via the drive between now and 1 September will get a 5% discount.

Remember - Carrefour Belgium currently has 193 drive outlets and is intending to open a further 50 between now and the end of the year.