VSBLTY Signs Letter of Intent to Bring Smart Retail Tech to 50,000 Mexican Stores

VSBLTY is looking to solidify its presence in Mexico and push further into Latin America after signing a letter of intent with Retailigent Media and Grupo Modelo. Retailigent is a smart retail specialist that offers personalized shopping experiences, while Grupo Modelo is a Mexican beer maker and distributor that is part of the larger AB InBev company.

The letter of intent concerns the creation of an in-store media network that could eventually serve as many as 50,000 locations in Mexico. Many of those venues will be Modelorama convenience stores, which are owned and operated by Grupo Modelo. The rest will be independent bodegas spread throughout the country.

The network could also expand to other countries in Central and South America. The network deployment will begin with 5,000 Modeloramas and 15,000 bodegas, and is projected to reach other countries before the end of 2027.

The deployments will specifically involve smart displays and computer vision sensors. The technologies will give store operators access to detailed demographic information about their customers, and will also help them improve their security posture. Brands, meanwhile, will be able to reach out to consumers with targeted in-store advertisements. The security features will be delivered in collaboration with RADAR App.

“We will be supplying all our proprietary software licensing for analytics, security and visual display,” explained VSBLTY Co-founder and CEO Jay Hutton. “The network will be offering major consumer product brands the opportunity to advertise to shoppers right at point-of-sale when buying decisions are made.”

“This is the next step in offering an improved shopping experience to consumers, as well as enabling local store owners and operators to remain competitive as retail consolidates in most of these markets,” added Grupo Modelo Middle Americas Technology and Analytics VP Ignacio Lares. “Not only can the real time access to point-of-sale systems allow store owners to optimize their business, but we can incorporate security, consumer analytics, and display advertising under the same platform.”

Retailigent acts as VSBLTY’s partner in Mexico. The two companies have previously worked together to bring smart retail technology to a chain of Mexican pet stores. VSBLTY’s computer vision tech is also being used in a smart city surveillance program in Mexico City that is being carried out in conjunction with Energetika.

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December 2, 2020 – by Eric Weiss