Esselunga tests the Ufirst app in some stores in Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany and Piedmont to reserve a place in the queue and avoid long lines. Here’s how it works
Esselunga, the supermarket chain present in most of Italy, has introduced a new technological solution to help its customers not to waste too much time when they go shopping: the Ufirst app. It is a free application that allows you to “book” your place, without having to physically stand in line. An innovative and intelligent way to avoid creating crowds outside supermarkets and to better manage the influx of people.
Respecting social distancing is very important when you go shopping: the risk is to infect so many people in a very short time. Quotaed entry has certainly created problems, but it is the only sure way to avoid contagion. This has logically led to the creation of queues, with waiting times, before entering the supermarket, that can also exceed two hours. For this reason Esselunga has decided to test the use of the Ufirst app in some stores in Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany and Piedmont: if the experiment gives the desired results, it could be used in all the supermarkets in Italy.
The Ufirst app is not the only technological solution to monitor the influx in a given supermarket: in this period several websites and apps have been created that allow to control the waiting time in a supermarket. Ufirst, however, has an additional function: it also allows you to reserve a place and better manage the influx.
How Ufirst works, the queue-jumping app
Ufirst is not an application developed specifically by Esselunga, but it is a platform that has been around for some time and is also used by other companies throughout Italy. The app is free and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and App Store.
How does the saltacoda app work in Esselunga supermarkets? The platform integrates with the system developed so far by the supermarket chain to manage the contingent influx. Users who have downloaded Ufirst, will be able to book their place in line using the app: you have to locate the Esselunga store that uses Ufirst closest to your home and get in line with a simple tap on your smartphone. You can also use the app to see the progress of the queue, so that you can leave your home a few minutes before your turn.
For people who do not know how to use apps, Esselunga has also thought of an alternative method: you can book your place in line by calling the store and you will be notified by SMS when you need to move from home.
This system will be very useful especially with the arrival of summer: if the quota rules will remain in place to avoid new outbreaks of Covid-19, managing the influx to the supermarkets through an app or a platform will be essential to avoid creating long queues under the sun.
Esselunga, which are the stores where to use Ufirst
For the moment the Ufirst app is active only in some Esselunga stores in Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany and Piedmont. To see which ones are you have to download the app and check the one closest to your home. The system is still in a testing phase to understand how it works and correct any errors.