Avery Dennison has announced that it is the exclusive UHF RFID partner for Neste’s newly opened Easy Deli store in Helsinki, Finland.

In addition, Avery Dennison has supported its long-time partner Nordic ID in developing an advanced self-checkout system. The unmanned store uses RFID technology to automatically scan all purchases made by the customer at once, contributing to a frictionless shopping experience and removing the need for cash desks or store staff to be permanently available.

Neste, a provider of renewable products, opened a fully automated Easy Deli store on June 3, 2020, in the center of Helsinki, Finland, and referred to the facility as “the first self-service convenience store in Europe using RFID technology.”

A key component of the store concept is an RFID-based self-checkout solution developed by Nordic ID, a Finnish technology company specialized in real-time item tracking and self-service products. The Easy Deli fully leverages the capabilities of RFID: Every product in the store is tagged with RFID labels from Avery Dennison, enabling 24/7 store availability through a self-checkout solution that scans all purchases made by the customer in an instant, even if they are packed into shopping bags or a backpack.

“Consumer shopping behavior is changing rapidly. We want to be part of this development and offer new kinds of smoother and faster customer experiences. The Easy Deli product scanner is the first of its kind in Finland and a huge leap forward compared to conventional self-checkouts. This makes the shopping experience much quicker and easier. The closest references are found in China, where the RFID-based shops have received positive feedback for their user-friendliness,” explains Jukka Peltoniemi, who is responsible for automated services at Neste.

During the summer of 2020, Neste will also open another Easy Deli store using the RFID technology in the Helsinki area. The company aims to further open new Easy Deli stores in conjunction with unmanned Neste stations in Riga, Latvia during 2020. The 24-hour self-service stores complement Neste’s range of services alongside conventional stations.

To enter the Easy Deli store, customers start by registering in the Neste mobile app. This ensures secure shopping and helps to prevent any misuse and vandalism. After registering, customers pick out their products and place them on the RFID-based self-checkout, which scans all the products in seconds. Finally, customers pay for their purchases using Apple Pay, Google Pay or a payment card.

Avery Dennison supplies different UHF tag models, including AD456 on-metal tags and AD180 small circular tags which all provide the performance and reliability required for fast, safe and convenient self-checkout while maintaining other easily demonstrable benefits for convenience stores. These benefits include levels of visibility into the inventory and the entire supply chain, plus a reduction in labor costs of up to 50% for retailers. It also enables a frictionless and touchless experience for shoppers, which is something consumers are starting to demand more and more, especially in light of COVID-19.

“We are pleased to be the exclusive supplier of UHF RFID labels for this groundbreaking store concept led by Neste in Finland. It serves as a beacon for Avery Dennison’s comprehensive efforts to enable frictionless grocery shopping. Neste has demonstrated how technology can be used to create an innovative shopping experience that is fast, seamless and exciting whilst limiting unnecessary interaction with other people” states Francisco Melo, VP/GM, Avery Dennison Intelligent Labels.