Schnucks Banner Features Smart CBD Sales Kiosks

Schnuck Markets natural food banner EatWell now features smart CBD sales kiosks from NatuEra, a vertically integrated cannabinoid producer and brand of hemp-derived CBD products. Installed this month at the EatWell store in Columbia Mo., the two interactive touchscreen units combine educational videos, product information and the vending of NatuEra’s CBD wellness products in a store-within-a-store model completely managed by NatuEra.

The first-of-its-kind launch highlights the kiosk’s ability to address regulatory, category management and other issues that have prevented large retailers from realizing revenue opportunities in the rapidly growing yet highly complex $6 billion CBD wellness market, where more than 90% of sales occur either in specialty stores like dispensaries and vape shops, or through online channels.

“Over one-third of Americans and half of Millennials have purchased a CBD product, but until now, major traditional retailers have had little access to this revenue stream,” noted Nicolas Nannetti, CEO of North Palm Beach, Fla.-based NatuEra, a joint venture between an affiliate of Agroidea, a Colombian agricultural service, and The Cronos Group, a global cannabinoid company with distribution across five continents. “We designed the NatuEra CBD Smart Kiosk to specifically mitigate retailers' regulatory risk and liability, as well as to provide a turnkey category management solution that brings CBD-based wellness products to consumers at the retail locations they trust.” 

The kiosk features an always-on 42-inch touchscreen with the image of a hemp plant cradled in a pair of hands. A tap on the screen leads to product information as well as educational content about topics ranging from the relationship between hemp, cannabinoids like CBD and wellness, to NatuEra's plant-based purpose and GMP-certified quality management systems, including relevant videos at the top of every screen to keep users engaged.

“While two out of three Americans have heard about CBD, we know most people are confused about what CBD actually is, what it does and whether it’s safe to consume,”  said Allison Primo, Schnucks’ health and wellness strategy manager. “The NatuEra CBD Smart Kiosk provides a vital educational component to help our customers understand how CBD products can support their wellness needs, while providing full transparency on origin, content and quality.”

According to a Consumer Brands Association report, the most common reasons that Americans shop for CBD is pain management (52%) or to reduce stress or anxiety (50%), while a significant number of Americans also purchase CBD as a sleep aid (43%). The NatuEra Smart CBD Kiosk currently offers tinctures, gummies, creams and capsules, including the company's Relax* and Relief & Recovery* wellness product collections, with a new Rest* product line planned to roll out early next year.

Among the retailer benefits offered by the NatuEra CBD Smart Kiosk are:

• Regulatory compliance: Kiosks are connected to NatuEra’s proprietary regulatory database for continually updated and legally verified information and messaging. The company can update text, video and audio content through the cloud, protecting retailers from liability related to regulatory issues and product claims.
• Category management: Retailers avoid the time and expense required to track new CBD products and evolving consumer CBD preferences.
• Vendor-managed inventory: NatuEra monitors, replenishes and updates product stock as needed, reducing stockouts and eliminating inventory-related retailer overhead.
• Theft avoidance: The kiosk lowers the risk of shrinkage by providing a safe and secure way to sell CBD products without reducing sales potential associated with requiring staff to open locked merchandise displays.
• Age verification: An instant age verification system prompts users to scan their driver’s license or State ID to prove they’re 18 or 21, according to state requirements.
• Safety assurance and traceability: NatuEra controls its entire supply chain from the farm to the finished product in the kiosk, which not only ensures quality, but also provides a complete chain of traceability from seed to extract to product ready for sale.

The kiosk comes in four sizes, including for use on end caps, as wall-mounted units and as free-standing floor units.

EatWell was launched in June 2020 by St. Louis-based Schnucks, which operates 111 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, and employs 13,000 associates. The company is No. 64 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.