Mars Wrigley & Standard Cognition Partner to Reimagine Impulse Item Sales
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. — Mars Wrigley is teaming up with Standard Cognition, provider of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered, autonomous checkout solutions, to help retailers integrate seamless technology and impulse category sales.
"Mars selected Standard as its partner because it's clear to us that they bring advanced technology in autonomous checkout, offer a great value proposition to retailers and share with us a mutual passion and vision for this space," said Vincent Hummel, global category leadership director — new transaction points at Mars Wrigley. "We're excited to work with Standard and our retailers around the world to define the future of autonomous checkout."
The goal of the partnership is to work together to better understand what impact autonomous checkouts would have on shoppers' experience, particularly at the end of the trip. This is when consumers are traditionally seeking products to reward, recharge and remind, which typically took place while waiting in line for a cashier, according to Mars Wrigley.
The companies plan to collaborate to bring retailers new recommendations on how to design stores that balance operational efficiency, shopper satisfaction and financial optimization.
During the partnership's initial phase, Mars and Standard will educate each other on their respective capabilities across technology, shopper journey insights and the intersections of operational efficiencies and merchandising excellence for impulse in a cashierless world. They are working together to create convenient and positive experiences for shoppers in a way that will meet retailers' holistic objectives, the companies said.
"Standard had been thinking about that issue too, so the Mars inquiry was very timely," said Michael Suswal, co-founder and chief operating officer at Standard Cognition. "We leapt at the chance to work with Mars — a category captain with 100-plus years of insights, research and innovation — to help retailers address this challenge."