Mars Taps Conjure for On-Demand Mobile Ice Cream Store Pilot
MCLEAN, Va. — Mars Inc. and store-hailing service Conjure Inc. are teaming up to introduce on-demand mobile ice cream stores for Mars brands.
The store-hailing pilot will equip Conjure's fleet of mobile stores with offerings from Mars' popular ice cream portfolio just in time for summer, allowing customers to order ice cream from their smartphones and have it delivered to their location in minutes, the companies announced.
"Mars has been driving innovation in the ice cream category for over 35 years. Now we are proud to be the first to introduce Mars Ice Cream to the trend of 'store-hailing,' inspiring more moments of everyday happiness through our iconic brands," said Shaf Lalani, general manager of Mars Ice Cream. "We are thrilled to partner with Conjure and its fleet of mobile ice cream retail to get consumers the Mars products they love and to further advance the unattended retail industry."
With its one-tap ordering process, consumers can hail a mobile shop to their location using Conjure's proprietary app. Within minutes the shop arrives, and Conjure's patented, checkout-free system allows consumers to handpick their ice cream products and simply walk away. Conjure's mobile shops deliver the ice cream store filled with frozen products directly to consumers in as little as two minutes.
"We are thrilled to partner with Mars to expand our offering to consumers through our on-demand mobile ice cream stores," said Ali Ahmed, co-founder and CEO of Conjure. "Mars' ice cream brands are the perfect addition to our platform, and we believe this partnership will be a game-changer in the ice cream industry."
The partnership will initially launch in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles this spring, with plans to expand to more locations later in the year. At the onset, shoppers can purchase M&M'S Chocolate, Snickers and Twix ice cream pints, as well as M&M'S Cookie Sandwiches, and Snickers and Twix ice cream bars from Conjure's mobile ice cream stores.
"Mars is continuously investing in driving innovation for the treats and snacks category through the unattended retail space, giving consumers more opportunity to shop our products with speed and convenience," said Jerome Morgen, senior global director, Mars Unattended Retail. "This partnership with Conjure helps solve the industry's biggest issue — ice cream melting before reaching the home when purchased in store or through other delivery methods."
Using its proprietary app, Los Angeles-based Conjure allows consumers to hail a mobile shop to their door in as little as two minutes and shop checkout free.
Headquartered in McLean, Mars Inc. is a global, family-owned business. With almost $45 billion in annual sales, the company produces well-known brands, including Ben's Original, Cesar, Cocoavia, Dove, Extra, KIND, M&M'S, Snickers, Pedigree, Royal Canin and Whiskas.
Mars is also creating a better world for pets through its global network of pet hospitals and diagnostic services, including AniCura, Banfield, Bluepearl Linnaeus and VCA.