UBER EATS IS LAUNCHING ROBOT DELIVERIES IN JAPAN

Uber Eats customers in Japan can soon have an autonomous robot deliver their food on the streets of Tokyo. Uber announced a partnership Tuesday between robotics firm Cartken and Japanese industrial titan Mitsubishi Electric to launch autonomous sidewalk robots that will start delivering Eats orders in parts of Tokyo beginning next month. Japan will be the first international market to have autonomous delivery available on the Uber Eats platform. Japan, however, is no stranger to embracing robot helpers in the hospitality industry, and many popular restaurant chains have been using robot servers for years now. Cartken’s Model C robots will be delivering the food and navigating the sidewalks of Tokyo, and the operations will be supervised by Mitsubishi Electric as part of the partnership. Cartken’s Model C robots use AI and computer vision technologies to navigate their environments. The sidewalk-traversing robots are designed to avoid obstacles, yield to pedestrians, and stop at…

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FOUR C-STORES MAKE TOP 20 OF FORBES CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE ALL-STARS

Forbes released its second annual Customer Experience All-Stars list, an index of brands that leave consumers most satisfied in terms of product, service, and treatment. Four convenience store brands made an appearance in the top 20. Buc-ee’s topped the entire list with its No. 1 ranking, which it received for the second straight year. Other brands in the top five were Chick-fil-A, H-E-B, Toyota, and Costco. Other convenience stores making an appearance in the top 20 were Kwik Trip/Kwik Star (No. 10), Wawa (No. 16), and QuikTrip (No. 18). The company produced the list in partnership with data analytics firm HundredX, using data from an online survey of 175,000 individuals throughout 2023. The survey gathered more than four million multidimensional ratings of 3,100 unique brands. The survey asked respondents to specify brands they use or know well, and then answer a variety of questions about the brand’s quality, service, and other factors, including…

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ZAPPING FUEL COSTS & SAVING TIME WITH Z APP

They’re an energy company dedicated to digital innovation, with a mobile app packed with features to make purchasing petrol faster, simpler, and cheaper. But for many users of Z App – an app for Z customers – the big draw is another essential daily fuel: Coffee. The ‘jump the queue’ feature is one of Z’s most popular mobile offerings, allowing customers to pre-order custom-made drinks from Z stations nationwide. It might not be the flashiest digital feature, but it’s a favourite of Z’s GM Strategy, Delivery and Innovation, Mandy Simpson. “If I’m heading out for the day, I’ll often order a coffee to pick up at my local Z on my way out,” she says. “And when my partner and I are on a long drive, whoever isn’t driving will order the coffees for the next stop.” Mandy’s not alone. Almost one in four coffees sold by Z are now…

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MUSGRAVE EXTENDS RETAIL AND FOODSERVICE CREDENTIALS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Musgrave, Ireland’s leading food retail, wholesale and foodservice company, has a clear vision – to be a world class food and beverage business – and alongside that vision are ambitious plans to grow the business on both the island of Ireland and internationally. Trevor Magill, Managing Director for Musgrave in Northern Ireland explains the strategic pillars behind that vision. “Across the group our focus will always be on maximizing our core business so developing our retail, wholesale and foodservice offering. However, as we look to the future, we are also concentrating on developing our presence internationally. Crucially, however is that we grow and develop in a sustainable way.” Magill was appointed to his current role mid-2020 having joined Musgrave as sales director for the Mace brand in Northern Ireland in 2012.  In 2015, his role expanded to wholesale director with responsibility for both the Mace business and Musgrave’s wholesale brand,…

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ANZ-ROY MORGAN CONSUMER CONFIDENCE VIRTUALLY UNCHANGED AT 83.2 IN LATE FEBRUARY

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence was virtually unchanged at 83.2 this week. The index has now spent a record 56 straight weeks below the mark of 85. Consumer Confidence is now 3.2 points above the same week a year ago, February 20-26, 2023 (80.0), but 0.4 points below the 2024 weekly average of 83.6. There were mixed results around the States with Consumer Confidence up in Victoria and Western Australia, down in Queensland and South Australia and virtually unchanged in New South Wales. Current financial conditions Future financial conditions Short-term economic confidence Medium-term economic confidence Time to buy a major household item ANZ Senior Economist, Adelaide Timbrell, commented: ANZ-Roy Morgan Australian Consumer Confidence has hovered around a tight range of 82.8–84.8 since the beginning of the year. While this is higher than from mid-February to December 2023, the trend over the last eight weeks has been broadly sideways. We expect a…

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ELECTRIC-VEHICLE OWNERS WANT THE FULL GAS STATION EXPERIENCE

EV drivers want to trust their car to the man who wears the star, according to study that reveals what kind of locations they envision for their recharging needs. Current public charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) are far from meeting consumer wants and expectations, according to data from AutoPacific’s recent EV Consumer Insights Study. And it appears that EV drivers want to trust their car to the man who wears the star, just like in the Texaco ads of old. EV consumers have a long list of charging station attributes that are important to them and what the ideal public charging station should look like. From easy-to-see and -read charging speed and pricing signage to offering additional basic vehicle care services such as windshield cleaner, air pumps for filling tires and vacuums, future EV consumers would like a public charging experience that more closely mirrors traditional gas stations and fueling facilities. Although…

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