Robots Help Customers Pick Up Online Purchases

The buy-online-pickup-in-store trend is quickly becoming an attractive alternative to “last-mile” delivery. With the first-ever public-facing technology from AutoStore, shoppers can pick up their online purchases quickly with the help of robots.

Nedre Vats (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Today AutoStore™ launches its latest innovation, the PickUpPort™, a public-facing port that lets customers shop online and pick up their order directly from the AutoStore System.

“It’s important for us to help retailers stay ahead in an ever-changing industry. With the new PickUpPort, retailers can offer a hassle-free pick-up option in-store, and customers can see how Robots pick, organize, and store items. When retailers adopt this technology, their customers get even more flexibility and freedom,” says Carlos Fernández, Chief Product Officer at AutoStore.

The PickUpPort is an intuitive technology that doesn’t demand extensive implementation and training. When a customer places an order and chooses in-store pickup, a Controller function asks the AutoStore Robot to pick the Bins that contain the products. The warehouse operator consolidates the order, and the order is stored in the AutoStore System. When the customer arrives at the store, a Robot will bring the Bin with the right products to the PickUpPort.

Attractive alternative to “last mile”
The new technology is a direct response to the evolving demand for greater efficiency in the way customers receive products. Adding public-facing ports to stores can drive additional in-store purchases and enable retailers to provide a frictionless omnichannel shopping experience for customers.

“We are constantly piloting and rolling out new technology. People want more flexibility, and the buy-online-pickup-in-store trend is quickly becoming an attractive alternative to 'last-mile' delivery, since it’s simple, fast and offers a lower carbon footprint,” says Fernández.

The technology has a user-friendly design. As this is the first public-facing Port from AutoStore, multiple safety measures were taken into account during product development. The PickUpPort is equipped with a warning label, safety bar, a damper, and stoppers.

“The PickUpPort is safe and easy to use. It’s always locked while waiting for the Bin to arrive at the Port, and a LED lamp signals when it’s ready to be opened. Safety is paramount at AutoStore,” says Fernández.

The PickUpPort is the fifth Port module offered by AutoStore and will be available from November 15th.

About AutoStore | www.autostoresystem.com
AutoStore™, founded in 1996, is a warehouse robot technology company that invented and continues to pioneer cube storage automation, the densest order-fulfillment solution in existence. Our focus is to marry software and hardware with human abilities to create the future of warehousing. AutoStore is global, with over 950+ systems in 45 countries in a wide range of industries. All sales are distributed, designed, installed, and serviced by a network of qualified system integrators referred to as "partners". The headquarter is in Nedre Vats, Norway, with offices in Oslo (Norway), the U.S., UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore.

The AutoStore System consists of an aluminum Grid, Robots, Bins, Ports, and a Controller. The stacked Bins are arranged in a Grid. Robots ride on rails along the top of the Grid, retrieving Bins as needed. The Bins are then delivered to a Port, where warehouse operators are stationed to pick up or fill in products, tag, pack and send them out. A Controller acts as the brain behind the whole operation.

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