Retail|Smart access

Smart access to physical carts

Many retailers have the same issue. Shopping carts are parked randomly on the parking lot or dumped in a ditch. The coin to unlock does not work in modern times driving the need for plastic give away coins. This is not modern, non sustainable. Frekis has a lock and a service to increase cart return rate and allowing the tracking of customers in store to optimise your offering

Unlock your carts in a smart way

Retail and travel/entertainment

Problem to solve

Many carts are used and had traditional unlocking system with a coin. These have never been upgraded and people do not carry coins anymore. This leads to either taking away the cart lock or providing plastic tokens for free driving both cost and environmental impact. Shopping carts for example cost around 7-8000 SEK and are unfortunately used and dumped by people anywhere or parked randomly on a parking lot and not returned in the designated areas.

Frekis – the smart cart lock service

Form factor is recognisable but the unlocking/locking is done via mobile app. This can be naturally integrated into your own app as just another service. Customers also get a reminder to place the cart back in the designated area after use and use is fully personal.

If someone forgets the phone and still wants the cart, they can ask personnel to unlock the cart. Same as people going to customer service for asking plastic coins but just without the coins. Staff can humbly mention to download the app and kindly put the cart back to the same place as it is issued on a guest checkin.

Able to generate unique ID(s) for shopping carts e.g. “storecart0000120” . This will help you to track carts too. Both in- and outside of your property providing customer insight and reduction of loss of assets.

Benefits of Frekis lock service?

Retailers want customers to download their apps before entering the store. Providing an unlock service for your carts is again added value.
Retailers can make users responsible for borrowing carts so users can put them back in designated places. You know what cart is in use by whom.
Reduction of asset loss by theft or people taking carts for a longer walk
Retailers can show the latest weekly offers when customers unlock the cart or even when carts are positioned in the store
Easy to add payment per time unit to enable rental revenue if required or to install fine for extended use or non-returns.
No need to hand out plastic coins any more.

Areas of opportunity

Travel/Leisure – luggage carts, golf buggies, kidsbuggies
Retail – store/grocery carts
Hospital – wheelchairs