Unilever to launch fleet of driverless ice cream vans using Robomart autonomous vehicles

Robomart, the inventor of a grocery store on autonomous wheels, has agreed a partnership with Unilever, the world’s largest ice cream producer, under its virtual storefront, The Ice Cream Shop.

Unilever will deploy a fleet of Ice Cream Robomarts this summer, featuring treats from Unilever ice cream brands Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Good Humor, Magnum ice cream and Talenti.

With its patented one-tap grocery ordering technology, consumers can hail The Ice Cream Shop Robomarts to their location using Robomart’s proprietary mobile app.

When it arrives, the user swipes across the app to open the vehicle’s door. Robomart’s checkout-free system allows consumers to handpick their selected products and simply walk away – without physically checking out or swiping their credit card.

Ali Ahmed, Robomart CEO and co-founder, says: “We’re excited to work with Unilever – the world’s largest ice cream maker – to pilot The Ice Cream Shop as one of the flagship storefronts on our new marketplace.

“Putting a spin on the classic ice cream truck by bringing it to consumers on-demand, we have pioneered a new way for everyone to get their favorite ice cream treats in as little as two minutes.

“This rollout brings to life the original vision my co-founder and I had over a decade ago while working at Unilever to create ‘The Everywhere Store’ – the fastest and most accessible way to get all your essentials.”

Robomart’s ability to deliver the “entire store directly to homes” cuts out the need for consumers to shop on a website, create a basket, check out with a credit card, select a delivery window and communicate with delivery drivers.

Russel Lilly, general manager, Unilever North American Ice Cream, says: “We’re thrilled to partner with Robomart to offer a new way to bring our virtual store, The Ice Cream Shop, to fans in Los Angeles in an innovative way.

“Our pilot program with Robomart is revolutionizing ice cream delivery for consumers and making it even faster to get our beloved brands to our ice cream fans. What better way to shop for your favorite ice cream than just a few steps from your front door?”

Robomart says it has experienced “tremendous growth and success” since its consumer launch in Los Angeles in June 2021 and the receipt of a patent for its “one-tap grocery ordering” technology.

Robomart recorded its fastest end-to-end experience, from the time a consumer opens the app to the time they have goods in hand, at under two minutes – “the fastest in the world”. Active users of Robomart, on average, hail a Robomart to their location 2.3 times a week.

As the company increases market share, it says it has recorded 9 percent user growth and 10 percent order growth per week.