Robomart, a store-hailing service, has announced a partnership with Unilever, an ice cream producer, to help customers order self-driving ice cream vans to their locations.
Unilever plans to deploy a fleet of ice cream Robomarts this summer, featuring products from Unilever ice cream brands, such as Ben and Jerry’s, Breyers, and Magnum.
Customers should be able hail the mobile ice cream vendors to their current location using the Robomart app, with users swiping across their screens to open the door when it arrives.
The hands-free checkout system is designed to lets users choose their items and walk away without the need to swipe their credit cards.
“We’re excited to work with Unilever – the world’s largest ice cream maker – to pilot The Ice Cream Shop as one of the flagship storefronts on our new marketplace,” said Ali Ahmed, CEO and co-founder of Robomart.
“Putting a spin on the classic ice cream truck by bringing it to consumers on-demand, we have pioneered a new way for everyone to get their favourite ice cream treats in as little as two minutes.
“This rollout brings to life the original vision my co-founder and I had over a decade ago while working at Unilever to create ‘The Everywhere Store’ – the fastest and most accessible way to get all your essentials.”
Robomart claims that its ability to directly deliver a store to a given location eliminates the need for consumers to shop on a website, create a basket, check out with a credit card, select a delivery window and communicate with delivery drivers.
The store-hailing service has reportedly made consumer deliveries in less than two minutes, which it says is the fastest in the world. It also reports that active users make use of its service more than two times a week on average.
As the company increases its market share, it has recorded nine percent user growth and 10% order growth per week.
