UKROP'S BEGINS TEST OF DELI-SERVICE SYSTEM

MICHAEL GARRY

RICHMOND, Va. - Ukrop's Super Markets launched a one-store test last month of a new customer service system for the deli that consolidates walk-up orders with kiosk orders, while calculating the time customers need to wait to be served.

The system, called DeliVision and based on software from Cuesol, Quincy, Mass., is thought to be the first of its kind in the supermarket industry. It is also being tested by Stop & Shop, Quincy, in concert with its Shopping Buddy shopping cart system, also driven by Cuesol software. "I was intrigued with this technology at the [National Association of Convenience Stores] Technology Conference in Nashville last spring," said Joy Nicholas, principal, Cascade Retail Technologies, Potomac Falls, Va. "I think it has significant value to the retailer and the consumer in the area of customer satisfaction and productivity."

Ukrop's, a 30-store chain that is testing DeliVision initially in its Chesterfield Towne Center store here, is focusing on combining walk-up orders with those placed through the deli kiosk into a single queue. That way, both types can be handled in the order of placement with neither given preferential treatment, said Scott Aronson, vice president of marketing, Ukrop's.

As orders are entered into the system by walk-up shoppers, who press a button that generates a ticket, and by kiosk shoppers, the next shopper in line is indicated on an overhead screen by number and order type. Walk-up and kiosk orders are each represented by an icon appearing next to the number.

"[Traditionally] if shoppers on line get full attention, kiosk customers wonder why they haven't been served 50 minutes later," Aronson said. "And if we focus on kiosk orders, customers at the counter ask, 'Why aren't we helping them?'"

By contrast, the DeliVision offers a "fair and equitable system," Aronson said. Often, kiosk shoppers are the ones who receive less attention in the traditional scenario, contradicting the kiosk's status as a "time-saving" option. "We have been running deli kiosks successfully for more than a year so we want to take them to the next level by ensuring that we can offer the appropriate level of service," he said.

Ukrop's is still evaluating the DeliVision's ability to estimate how long a walk-up shopper must wait to be served, or how long before a kiosk shopper's order is ready for pick-up. "Over time we'll learn how many people need to be on shift and how long it takes them to fulfill orders," Aronson said. "We need history to know this so we're building a database." He said that Ukrop's intends to add the wait-time feature after the evaluations are completed.

Ukrop's is also installing new kiosk software from Cuesol that allows loyalty shoppers to see a list of favorite items from which they can make order selections. Those shoppers identify themselves by scanning their loyalty card at the kiosk. Ukrop's also plans to offer shoppers the ability to access a standing deli order.

Deli employees also interact with the system via a touchscreen, which they use to advance to the next order and access kiosk orders, Aronson said. The system's audio voice announces the next order number. He said employees have made a "smooth transition to the new system."

The DeliVision system costs about $20,000 per store, said Mike Grimes, vice president, sales and business development, Cuesol. He said a return on investment can be gained by improving deli-labor productivity as well as preventing "order abandonment" resulting from long wait times.