Press release, 16 November 2021
Unnamed selling with QR code: easy, safe and fast
Since autumn, customers of Fruitschuur Oostveen have been able to pay for their purchases safely, quickly and conveniently with a QR code. The unmanned point of sale in Nieuwendijk (municipality of Altena) has the European first with Pick-Go-Pay from the Belgian company Worldline, one of the largest payment services in the world. It is working together with Innovend, the Dutch producer of the vending machine from which Fruitschuur Oostveen sells its own apples, pears and cherries, supplemented by related regional products.
French Worldline subsidiary Ingenico approached Innovend as a partner for the first pilot of Pick-Go-Pay. The innovative company from oud-Gastel provides smart solutions for unmanned sales and dispensing under the brand name Zuply. It has everything in-house: the manufacture of the locker systems and the software for control, stock management, payment transactions and everything else involved. Innovend integrated the app into its own software.
Paying by app
Zuply’s LockBlox locker machines have a touchscreen for selecting vegetables, fruit, dairy and other fresh produce and for checkout. With Pick-Go-Pay, consumers can now also select and pay safely, quickly and easily with their mobile phones. Sander Sciarone of Innovend explains how it works: ‘You download the app once. As soon as you arrive at the Fruit Barn, you can use your phone to scan the QR code of the locker containing the product you want to buy. You see the product and price and when you click ‘buy’, we open the locker door remotely so you can grab the product. This can be done with several products in a row. When you are done, all transactions are processed and payment takes place.’
Smart solution
Fruitschuur Oostveen has been using Innovend’s smart sales solution since 2016. ‘Then, in addition to our farm shop in Werkendam, we opened a second, unmanned sales point in Nieuwendijk, close to the A27 exit,’ says José Oostveen. ‘That was an immediate success and has remained so. Sales and the number of customers are still growing.’
‘The vending machine there is a LockBlox with compartments in different sizes. In total, there are 168 compartments. At the time, this was the first machine in the market that allowed people to pay by card and contactless. And so now another option is being added: paying through an app and a QR code.’
Contactless: extra advantage in corona time
Because Fruitschuur Oostveen was one of the first companies to purchase a LockBlox vending machine, there was close cooperation with Innovend in the early days and the Oostveen family had the opportunity to provide feedback from the user side. Innovend is an innovative company and Fruitschuur Oostveen is interested in new techniques. This is why Sander Sciarone approached Fruitschuur Oostveen for the Pick-Go-Pay trial.
And the Oostveen family was keen to participate, as they are convinced that customers would love to use it. ‘It’s faster: you don’t have to type anything in, just scan it. People are getting more and more used to paying with their phone or watch. This will appeal to younger people in particular. It becomes even more contactless this way; you no longer have to touch the machine. That is an added advantage in corona time. People can go straight to the compartments with the products of their choice and no longer have to remember compartment numbers.’
Godsend for the countryside
Among other things, Worldline sees Pick-Go-Pay as a godsend for rural villages and small towns. For example, in France, more and more ordinary shops and other facilities are closing their doors. Unmanned outlets with locker solutions like Innovend’s can play an important role there. By paying with a QR code, customers can shop at any time and checkout is easy and secure.
