Driven by the demands of a global pandemic and repeatedly validated by the fact that plugging a grocery list into a laptop is a safe, convenient way to shop, the e-grocery segment continues to thrive. It’s also where Liviri and Bell and Howell are coming together to enhance cold-chain capabilities and improve the overall process.
Enter Bell and Howell’s QuickCollect GO!™POD — a standalone unit powered by software-driven automation that simplifies pickup for consumers and overcomes order picking and storage complexities for store associates.
Insulated food containers from Liviri help make it possible.
“Once the order has been picked and placed within the Liviri totes, they’re loaded into the QuickCollect GO!™POD and the consumer is notified that their order is ready,” explains Joe Zuech, Vice President of Grocery Pickup for QuickCollect Solutions™.
“When shoppers arrive, they simply scan their pickup code, and QuickCollect GO!™POD intelligently locates an order and quickly presents it to them,” he continues. “The entire process is extremely efficient when compared to current in-store pickup methods.”
This ability to provide secure unattended pickup of online grocery orders is a welcomed advantage for anyone who either sells or buys groceries. In other words, everyone.
“We listened to the needs of retail and grocery chains and realized that simplifying the pickup process was just as important for associates as it was for their customers,” Zuech says. “Increased demand has complicated store operations with many running out of space to store online orders and increasing labor costs associated with the complex pickup process. This solution solves both of those things.”
In addition to trailblazing efficiency, temperature performance is a critical component. Liviri totes help associates pick customer orders and store them at the precise temperature products require. The Pod’s innerworkings further lengthen the effectiveness of Liviri insulated food containers by maintaining a lower temperature and supporting frozen, refrigerated or ambient-temperature products.
Liviri’s product and engineering teams work closely with grocers and automation companies like Bell and Howell to ensure that its totes integrate flawlessly into grocers’ unique infrastructures and operations.
“The reusable totes are precision engineered to fit into grocery picking carts to minimize food transfer inefficiencies,” notes Rachel Lee, senior product line manager at Liviri. “They also stack securely with a grocer’s existing ambient totes for staging complete orders before they enter the QuickCollect GO POD™ system.”
This smart, comprehensive approach elevates the e-commerce experience at both ends of the spectrum. Grocers save time and money as a direct result of automation in action, while consumers gain peace-of-mind in knowing that their proteins and produce are secure and temperature safe from the instant they place an order to whenever they choose to pick one up.
“As more shoppers fill their carts online, all eyes are on the e-grocery space,” says Chuck Kukic, Liviri General Manager. “This collaboration between Liviri and Bell and Howell is a visionary example of our consultative approaches in action — innovating future-forward answers for e-commerce businesses seeking to solve for the future.”
