University Of Houston Partners With Standard To Open First Retail Store Retrofitted For A Full Checkout-Free Experience

“Market Next” at the University of Houston retrofitted with Standard’s AI-powered platform to transform the retail experience, ensure utmost student safety; students can complete shopping trip in 2.3 seconds

Houston, TX And San Francisco, CA (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Convenience just took on a whole new meaning for students at the University of Houston. The university and its dining services partner Chartwells Higher Education, have partnered with Standard, which provides the only checkout-free solution that can be quickly and easily installed in existing stores, to transform an on-campus convenience store into the nation’s first retrofitted, completely touchless, cashierless retail experience.

“Market Next” at Technology Bridge opened on the University of Houston campus today. Operating 24 hours a day, the one-of-a-kind store sells an assortment of snacks, coffee, beverages, microwavable items, sandwiches, and more; and with this revolutionary new system, students can walk in, take what they like, and simply walk out -- without ever having to scan anything or wait in line to pay. The fastest full shopping trip recorded with the Standard platform is 2.3 seconds, which can only happen because of its camera-based system, and is especially useful for students who are running late for class.

“Students’ tastes change constantly, and we’re well equipped to handle that. But their shopping preferences evolve too, and we want to continue providing new and unique shopping experiences that are unexpected on a college campus,” said David Riddle, Vice President of Operations for Chartwells Higher Ed, District Manager for UH System Dining. “This is the future of shopping, and with autonomous checkout through Standard, we’ve made it as easy, safe and convenient as possible for students to come in, get what they need, and go.”

Chartwells is actively working with Standard to retrofit a series of stores across North America: a convenience store equipped with Standard’s checkout-free technology has opened in North Carolina, and another will soon open in Ontario.

Standard provides the only checkout-free solution that can be quickly and easily installed in existing stores without making any changes to shelving, lighting, layout, inventory management processes, and more. Market Next was retrofitted with Standard’s ceiling-mounted cameras and its proprietary AI and machine-vision software that accurately associates each shopper with the items they pick up to purchase – without using biometric data.

“Market Next is the first retail store in the world to be retrofitted for a 100 percent cashierless, checkout-free experience,” said Jordan Fisher, Co-Founder and CEO of Standard. "Our platform is the only system on the market proven to retrofit an entire retail experience. Innovative retailers like Chartwells use the AI-powered Standard platform to enable shoppers to grab any product they want and simply walk out, without waiting in line. We are excited to partner with Chartwells to deliver this groundbreaking technology to more locations around the country."

Standard’s technology and the fact that it could work with existing store layouts made it the obvious partner. At Market Next, Standard’s platform integrates with Chartwells’ existing mobile ordering app, for seamless payment.

“Checkout-free technology is an innovation that will make our students’ lives a little easier and a lot safer. This is the new standard for campus safety that is important to students today and for the foreseeable future,” said Emily Messa, Associate Vice Chancellor and Associate Vice President for Administration at the University of Houston. “That’s why we will plan to convert additional Market stores on campus to this technology in the coming year.”

Standard was one of the first startups in the autonomous checkout space, and first to open a cashierless store in San Francisco. Recognized by Fast Company magazine as “One of The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies,” Standard is currently working with retailers around the globe. The company has raised $86M in funding.

Join Standard and our partners for a webcast to discuss the “The Checkout Free Revolution” today at 4:30 pm EDT/1:30 pm PDT (replay will be made available). Sign-up here: https://youtu.be/Ll-YJz5f8IU.

About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university recognized with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter for excellence in undergraduate education. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning and strategic industry partnerships. Located in the nation's fourth-largest city and one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse regions in the country, UH is a federally designated Hispanic- and Asian-American-Serving institution with enrollment of more than 47,000 students.

About Standard
Standard is transforming retail as we know it, with the first autonomous checkout solution that works in any existing store and allows customers to walk in, grab what they need, and walk out without waiting in line or stopping to scan or pay. The company’s machine vision and AI-powered solution is the only one that can be quickly and easily installed in retailers’ existing stores, representing a giant leap forward for retail tech and enabling retailers to rapidly deliver an amazing new shopping experience to customers. The first and best-funded startup in this space, Standard has launched multiple operational stores with customers, and is working with retailers around the world. Learn more at https://standard.ai/.

© 2020 GlobeNewswire, Inc. All Rights Reserved.