Cantaloupe Launches Smart Technology for Grab And Go at Self

Peter Lucas May 8, 2023 Acquiring, Competitive Strategies, Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Kiosks & Ticketing Machines, Mobile Commerce, Mobile Wallets, Point-of-sale, Transaction Processing, Vending

Cantaloupe Inc. is rolling out Cantaloupe Go, a line of self-service apps and kiosks that rely on artificial intelligence to enable consumers to purchase products in self-service retail locations, such as micro-markets.

Cantaloupe Go comprises Cantaloupe's line of self-checkout kiosks. which vary in cost, features, and payment-acceptance capabilities; Smart Store concepts, which enable consumers to unlock a kiosk and pay for their purchase using a mobile app; and Cantaloupe's smart-management platform.

Merchants can use Cantaloupe Go to link a payment terminal to up to three coolers for buying food and beverage products. Consumers select products at a cooler and pay to automatically unlock the cooler so they can grab the purchased items. Merchants can use Cantaloupe software to monitor the temperature of the cooler in real time, the company says.

Cantaloupe Go can also be used to operate micro-markets, which are unstaffed, self-service retail spaces that provide food and beverage choices through a self-checkout kiosk. Micro-markets can be deployed in break rooms, lobbies, and other locations as an alternative to vending machines. The configuration of the micro-market, and products sold within the market, can be customized for location and target audience, Cantaloupe says.

With the rollout of Cantaloupe Go, Cantaloupe is debuting in the United States what it calls Smart Markets, which are locked micro-markets that allow consumers to log into a user account to unlock the market with a credit or debit card and pay for the purchase at a kiosk. Cantaloupe has rolled out Smart Markets in Europe.

At a Smart Market, consumers register their payment at the terminal, which then unlocks the market, allowing consumers to grab the items they want. Artificial intelligence and sensors within the market track items the consumer grabs and process the payment accordingly. The technology is similar to the autonomous checkout technology used in Amazon Go and Circle K convenience stores.

"Cantaloupe Go applications can really go anywhere," Elyssa Steiner, Cantaloupe's chief marketing officer, tells Digital Transactions News by email. "The breadth of options we offer with our kiosks allows for flexibility depending on the space, and our Smart Store offerings bring the self-service retail to more open locations like airports, malls, etc. And no, Cantaloupe Go is not strictly for food-and-beverage vending."

Many micro-market operators supplement their inventory with convenience items such as small electronics and toiletries, according to Cantaloupe's Web site. Micro-market operators can also use an inventory application to identify popular items at each location and use that information to adjust inventory to better suit customer demographics and increase sales.