Industry · Retail and supermarkets
Robots for retail and supermarkets, spotless sales floors.
Sales floor cleaning, customer welcome, order picking: robots take over the store's repetitive tasks.
Use case examplePudu CC1 Pro— Supermarket cleaning
Featured robots
The models we recommend most often
An indicative selection: the final model is always chosen after your site assessment.
- Availablephoto 1:1
Pudu · Autonomous floor scrubber
Pudu CC1 Pro
- Autonomous cleaning of large surfaces
- Automatic return to the station and charging
- Designed for large stores
Main benefit: Guarantees a clean floor at opening time without a night cleaning crew.
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Pudu · Customer welcome
Pudu KettyBot Pro
- Built-in information screen
- Promotional messages and guidance
Main benefit: Handles simple requests while sales staff advise customers.
- Availablephoto 1:1
OrionStar · Micro-fulfillment
OrionStar CarryBot
- For warehouses under 2,000 m²
- E-commerce and click-and-collect order picking
Main benefit: Speeds up online order picking without growing the team.
In practice
Robots in a store
Where robots work, and which ones: each number links to the suitable models.
Welcome
Greet customers, inform them and guide them to the aisles; depending on the model, lead them there.
See reception robots
In brief
Service robotics for retail and supermarkets
In retail, service robots work on three functions: cleaning sales floors with autonomous floor scrubbers, welcoming and guiding customers, and picking orders in small warehouses (micro-fulfillment). Cleaning is the most mature use: an autonomous floor scrubber covers up to 1,500 m² per hour and uses 80% less water than traditional cleaning, according to manufacturer data.
Definitions
- Autonomous floor scrubber
- A floor cleaning machine that washes, brushes and vacuums up dirty water while following a mapped route on its own.
- Micro-fulfillment
- Picking online orders in a small urban warehouse of less than 2,000 m², often attached to the store.
- Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS)
- Renting a robot for a monthly or quarterly fee with a 36-month commitment, including installation, maintenance, insurance and replacement in case of failure. It is the alternative to buying the robot outright.
How it works
How a cleaning robot fits into a store
The autonomous floor scrubber works on a schedule defined with you, ideally before opening time or during off-peak hours.
Mapping
An operator walks the robot through the floor once to record the layout.
Scheduling
Cleaning zones and time slots are programmed around footfall.
Cleaning
The robot scrubs, steers around customers and pallets, then returns to its station.
Reports
Cleaned areas and inaccessible zones are reported in the dashboard.
Robot types
The robot families used in retail and supermarkets
Each family addresses a specific task. Many facilities combine two or three of them.
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Autonomous floor scrubbers
Cleaning large sales floors, shopping arcades and stockrooms.
Pudu CC1 Pro · Gausium Scrubber 50
See these robots - photo 4:3
Welcome robots
Information and guidance for customers at the store entrance.
Pudu KettyBot Pro
See these robots - photo 4:3
Litter collection robots
Sweeping and picking up litter in parking lots, shopping arcades and around the store.
Pudu MT1 Vac
See these robots - photo 4:3
Order picking robots
Micro-fulfillment and click-and-collect order picking.
OrionStar CarryBot
See these robots
Which robot for your facility?
One week of assessment to shortlist suitable robots, then a free demonstration at your site with test robots.
Use cases
Real situations, measurable results
A clean store from opening time
Situation
Night cleaning is expensive and hard to staff.
With a robot
The floor scrubber works before opening, and the team only handles the finishing touches.
Saturday crowds
Situation
Customers ask sales staff where to find an aisle.
With a robot
The welcome robot answers simple questions, sales staff focus on selling.
Click-and-collect
Situation
Online orders are picked in the stockroom, often at the same time as shelf restocking.
With a robot
The robot carries the bins, and picking runs more smoothly.
ROI and benefits
Key figures for the industry
Every figure is sourced. Estimates are flagged and refined during the assessment with your actual data.
- cleaned by an autonomous floor scrubber, six times more than a cleaning agent
- 1,500 m²/h
- Manufacturer data
- less water used than traditional cleaning
- 80%
- Manufacturer data
- saved over 5 years in a documented deployment
- €135,000
- StrongPoint / Gausium case study
- payback period for an autonomous floor scrubber
- 4–8 months
- Elio estimate
Our advisory approach
We assess your needs before recommending a robot.
In retail and supermarkets as elsewhere, the right robot depends on your flows, your spaces and your systems. Elio acts as an independent integrator: every recommendation stems from an on-site assessment, not from a catalog.
Discover our full method- 1 week
Assessment and shortlist
Understanding your needs, detailed on-site analysis and a robot shortlist drawn from several manufacturers.
- With you
Robot selection
Joint decision on the robot or robots to retain, and choice between purchase and a 36-month rental with monthly or quarterly fees.
- On site
Free demonstration
Free demonstration at your site, with test robots, in your real-world conditions.
- Ongoing
Maintenance and after-sales
Preventive and corrective maintenance, hardware response within 48 h in France, replacement if needed.
Multi-brand
The best manufacturers, a single point of contact.
Elio partners with the world's leading robot manufacturers. You get access to the whole market's offering, with a single contract, a single after-sales service and a single dashboard.
Independent advice
No brand is imposed: the recommendation starts from your needs, not from stock to clear.
The right robot for each task
A different model can be chosen for transport and for cleaning, on the same site.
No vendor lock-in
You are not tied to a single manufacturer's roadmap or pricing.
Better value for money
Models are compared on the same technical and financial criteria before any choice is made.
Frequently asked questions
Your questions about robots for retail and supermarkets
Another question? Write to us.
Yes: its sensors let it steer around customers and carts. Elio nevertheless recommends scheduling the main runs before opening time or during off-peak hours for maximum efficiency.
As a rental, an autonomous floor scrubber costs between €900 and €1,200 a month, including maintenance, insurance and replacement, with monthly or quarterly payments and a 36-month commitment. Buying the robot is also possible. The model and the option are defined after the assessment.
Profitability depends on the floor area, the cleaning frequency and the current cost of the service. Elio's assessment calculates the projected return on investment from your actual data.
Not necessarily. The robot can be integrated into your existing contractor's agreement: the machine covers the large surfaces while the agents focus on finishing touches and hard-to-reach areas.
Yes, depending on the model. Some reception robots, such as the OrionStar GreetingBot Nova, physically lead customers to an aisle or service point defined in advance on the store map. Others are limited to on-screen or voice information and guidance. A demonstration at your store helps you choose.
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Let's talk about your project for retail and supermarkets.
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