With clever use of an unmanned point of sale, small and medium-sized retailers can compete with big retailers, says Jan Staes, himself a successful pioneer in this field. Together with his wife Ann, he owns Keurslager Staes-Van Zummeren in Turnhout, Belgium.
‘Small retailers always have to compete with the big players, who have a lot of staff and can be open for a longer time. We are now open from 5am to 12pm. Nineteen hours a day, seven days a week.’
Back in 1997, butcher Staes opened a vending shop – then still next to the shop. After two decades of successive innovations, including Internet sales, Jan and his wife Ann made the switch to fully online in 2018. In 2020, they nevertheless added another shop next door, but completely unmanned: Staes & Lokaal. Here they sell not only meat and charcuterie, but also fresh dishes, poké bowl salads as well as other fresh products, such as cheese, bread, fish, vegetables, biscuits and chocolate. These are supplied by other local quality shops.
Larger product range than before
‘In 2018, we stopped operating a physical shop. Although we are still open for an hour four times a week, there is nothing in the counter anymore. That is only for picking up orders. We also deliver at home, with cargo bikes.’
‘A big advantage of everything being delivered to order is that we never have food surpluses. In addition, the range is much larger than before. We can now provide a lot of specialties, which we customize and sell purely to order.’
Good presentation sells
Since 2020, butcher Staes has combined the webshop with the unmanned Staes & Lokaal shop, which is equipped with, among other things, Zuply vending machines produced by Innovend. ‘It’s a big shop. There are 25 vending machines. Including two times six metres of Lockblox solutions. Those vending machines were supplied by Hanot Vending, the Innovend distributor for Belgium.’
‘The Zuply locker system immediately appealed to me,’ says Jan. ‘The products are presented very well. You can make such good products, but if you don’t present them well… you sell less of them. That applies to our meat, but certainly to the daily specials as well.’
Simple operation
‘Technically, the Lockblox also works extremely well. This is super important because the temperature must be constant so that the quality of fresh produce remains good. And the unit must always work and be easy for customers to operate. They shouldn’t have a bad experience because then they won’t come again. In a physical shop, they can speak to someone, here they can’t.’
They don’t miss out either. ‘Thanks to the well-functioning software, we can track what has been sold and when at all times. Information to customers is also extensive. Via the touchscreen, they can request everything, for example, what allergens are in the products. Payments can be made on the machine, so there is no need to do it in advance. With Zuply, the screen gives the right price, even though it depends on the weight of the product selected.’
The Lockblox’s versatility is also a plus, says Jan. ‘You can combine things. For example, we use some of the compartments for orders. If people place an order online, they can pick up their order in the unmanned shop.’
Bold
It was a bold step to turn the thriving butcher’s shop into a webshop and later to expand with the unmanned shop, but Jan Staes is glad he and his wife did so. Within three years, sales are already slightly higher than they were then. Moreover, costs are significantly lower.
‘It was a considerable investment, but I very much believe in the future of this concept with vending machines and unmanned shops. For us, this is perfect, given our family situation. But I think a combination with a physical shop is absolutely perfect for many business owners, as a second or third branch, for example. I also recommend that to most people when they come for advice or take part in a workshop. My son also wants to be a butcher; I don’t rule out that he will open a shop within five years.’
Webinars and workshops
Jan gives webinars and workshops. About what is involved in running an unmanned outlet; what you need to do for that; what choices are available and so on. That way, he helps fellow butchers and all kinds of other retailers, also from the Netherlands. They knock on his door because he is now an authority in this field.
‘For many business owners, it is still new: food in vending machines, starting a webshop, using social media… We now have 25 years of experience. Our first unmanned shop had only five or six vending machines but they could come to us for anything: soup and spaghetti too. And with the webshop, we were one of the first butchers in Belgium.’
One of his recommendations: ‘Above all, don’t copy exactly what and how we do it. But you can use certain aspects of it. Those apply to any business.’
Advice
The online webinars are free. ‘I give people an insight into what I do, also with YouTube videos, about certain machines, for example. Like, we have a pizza vending machine where customers can pick up a fresh pizza. Cold and hot.’
Many webinar participants then book a place during a workshop. That costs 290 euros per person, and the workshop takes place at Jan Staes’s premises. ‘A maximum of five people on an evening. So they can ask all their questions and I can give one-to-one advice.’ Indeed, he does not do the workshops for the money: ‘Now I have time for people; I would like to help them, but there was SO much interest. During the day and in between, I don’t have time to receive people and show them around. I also have my regular work.’
