About the project
Autonomous POD is a rapidly deployable, 100% autonomous retail format designed for proximity retail. It can be installed indoor (within existing spaces) or outdoor plug-and-play (in prefabricated containers), serving locations such as city centers, transport stations, universities, festivals and fuel stations.
The project addresses the need for flexible, lower-cost autonomous retail by leveraging prior technological advances and real-world pilots.
Project at a glance
Focus: Rapidly deployable autonomous retail format (indoor and outdoor) for proximity commerce
Key demonstrators: Outdoor plug-and-play POD; Indoor POD (Galp Allo, Brisa Pombal); Basket Review Terminal; Check-in Terminal with remote configuration; Pre-auth payments (Shift4)
Operation: 24/7 unattended retail with check-in via bank card or Sensei app; indoor and container-based outdoor formats
Primary pilot locations: Algarve; IST (Instituto Superior Técnico); Universidade Católica; Spain (outdoor POD); Galp Allo offices; Brisa Pombal service station
Objectives
- Enable fast deployment of fully autonomous retail in multiple environments (indoor and outdoor)
- Leverage previous autonomous store pilots and technological developments
- Improve sustainability and reduce total project cost by prioritizing indoor formats
- Test and optimize product range and location impact on sales performance
- Enhance customer confidence and payment robustness in unattended 24/7 environments
What we delivered
- Design and dimensioning of outdoor POD modules with structural options including smart lockers and weather protection, plus customisable exterior design
- Real-world testing across multiple locations including Algarve and Instituto Superior Técnico (IST)
- Deployment at Universidade Católica operating 24/7 to test product assortment in a university environment
- Development and installation of a more sustainable outdoor Pod version in Spain
- Two Indoor Pod stores launched in Q2 2024 — Galp Allo (app-based access) and Brisa Pombal service station (contactless access)
- Basket Review Terminal integration at Brisa Pombal, allowing customers to validate their virtual basket and billing before exit
- UI/UX improvements to the Check-in Terminal including new flows, screens, and remote configuration (access, tokens, fonts, colours, logos)
- Pre-authorisation payment solution deployed with Shift4 to validate payment methods and pre-hold a client-defined amount
Key metrics
- 2,500+ visitors at Brisa Pombal Pod
- ~80% Basket Review Terminal usage
- 2 indoor POD openings — Galp Allo and Brisa Pombal
- Universidade Católica Pod operating 24/7
Summary
Autonomous POD delivers a flexible, 24/7 autonomous retail format for indoor and outdoor environments. Following early outdoor pilots, the focus shifted to indoor deployments to increase flexibility and reduce costs. Real-world implementations at universities, offices and service stations validated the format and informed product optimization. Recent enhancements include a Basket Review Terminal to increase billing transparency, remote terminal
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