Smartphone-run convenience store opens in Sweden

A 24-hour convenience store, which employs no cashiers and is mainly run through smartphones, is now open in a small Swedish town of Viken, reported Digital Journal.

The idea to put up a smartphone-powered convenience store came up when the shop’s founder Robert Ilijason ran out of baby food in the middle of the night and had to drive 20 minutes to find a supermarket.

The shop has basics like milk, sugar, canned food, diapers, and other products that are usually available in a convenience store except for tobacco, alcoholic beverages, and medical drugs.

For customers to access the convenience store, they should have previously registered and downloaded the mobile application.

Customers can use their mobile phones to unlock the door with a swipe of the finger and scan their purchases. They will then receive a monthly invoice for the purchases made.

The 480-square foot store is equipped with surveillance cameras to discourage theft. If the front door stays open for more than eight seconds or someone attempts to pry it, a text message is automatically sent to Ilijason who lives nearby. Nobody has attempted to steal from the store since its opening last month.

Ilijason takes charge of receiving deliveries and filling up the shelves.

So far the only challenge faced by his business is that some elderly customers grapple with technology. That’s why Ilijason is considering other ways of opening the door such as the card reader used by banks or he might even opt to hire someone who will work for a few hours assisting customers understand the technology.