Żabka, which charges PLN 15 for entering the store. Strangely enough, that makes sense

The first Żabka in the Nano format was launched in Poznań in June 2021. The idea here is quite simple: the place is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It does not matter whether there are days off or what contract the employee has – there are no employees in these facilities. The concept is not new, e.g. Amazon boasted of such an idea last decade. What can be written about the Polish experiment? after almost five years?

Let’s start with how it works. The service provider has provided two ways to enter Nano facilities. The first one involves using Żappka, a popular online application. After registering and connecting your payment card, you must generate a QR code that can be used to open the door. In the second variant, the application is not needed – just a payment card is enough. The customer puts it on the terminal at the entrance (this can be done via the watch or phone to which the card is connected). In the next step, enter the phone number to which the SMS with the code will be sent. After entering the latter, the account is activated. The next time you visit a Nano branch, simply tap your card against the reader at the entrance.

What’s next? A customer enters the store and takes what he needs from the shelves. Please note that the offer is not very extensive. Nano branches offer mainly sweet and salty snacks, ready meals, salads, drinks, but also e.g. bread, dairy products and cold meats. In addition, there is coffee and tea from a vending machine, as well as chemical and hygiene products. In selected locations you can also find vegetables and fruits. If a customer changes his mind while shopping, simply put the product back on the shelf. Let me emphasize: on the shelf, and not, for example, in the hands of another customer.

Taken products do not need to be scannedyou can just go out with them. This is made possible by a system of cameras and special algorithms that allow you to track the customer’s movements and purchasing decisions. After leaving the facility, the payment is calculated automatically and the money is debited from the connected card. The bill can be found in the app or via SMS if you shopped without the app. The service operator declares that the system does not identify customers and does not remember images, so the issue of privacy is maintained.

You can enter Żabka Nano if there are other customers there – the service provider ensures that the purchases will be correctly assigned. Therefore, there is no point in waiting in front of the store until others leave it (unless there is a large crowd inside – these are not large spaces). However, it is worth remembering that you should make sure that the door is closed after you enter. This neutralizes the risk that someone will make purchases on our account. The same rule applies when leaving the store.

If anyone is wondering whether such a store is theft-proof, the answer is yes. Company representatives assured us that this was a marginal problem. AND Acts of vandalism apparently do not occur at all. Apparently the SOS button available in the store, used to connect to the Żabka support center, is rarely used. If customers do use it, it usually involves the need to explain how the store operates.

Some customers may be surprised by the blocked funds accompanying purchases at Nano. The amount is not high, it is PLN 15, but someone may think that they are paying just to enter the store. This money will be returned to the customer if he leaves the store without purchasing anything. It is simply a security mechanism that verifies whether the consumer has funds in the account to make purchases. If there is not PLN 15 in the account, the system will ask you to top up the account. The company explains that the block helps prevent fraud, which is what customers should care about.

The above-mentioned PLN 15 can be credited towards purchases made. If the amount spent is lower, the consumer will receive a refund. If someone spends more than PLN 15, they will be charged an additional fee. It may also happen that the bank will refund the money in full and separately collect the amount corresponding to the value of the purchases. Ultimately, however, you should not be afraid that the money will be lost.

As I already mentioned, the first facility of this type was launched in mid-2021. In the summer of the following year, the company boasted that it already had 50 branches of this type. The group even argued that it was “the largest chain of autonomous stores in Europe”. At that time, unmanned stores operated in Warsaw, Gdańsk, Katowice, Wrocław, Kraków, Piaseczno, Plewiska, Poznań and Sopot. It is worth adding that this is not a uniform format, because in addition to traditional stores, similar to Żabki with service, there are also independent container branches. As well as facilities in other stores. The company announced that it had opened points in Leroy Merlin and Decathlon chain stores.

If after about a year there were 50 Żabka Nano stores, after almost five years there should be hundreds of them. Things turned out a bit differently. In the summary of the company’s activities in 2024, it can be read that 52 facilities of this type were operating. The report also mentioned a large-scale change in their location. Suffice it to say that in 2023, 29 Nano facilities were moved, and in 2024, 18 stores were moved. It should also be added that the number of all Frogs increased significantly during this time: while at the end of 2021 there were approximately 8,000 of them, the year 2024 closed with over 11,000. objects. Currently, there is still little more Żabek Nano than at the end of 2024. Therefore, there is no question of dynamic growth. Does this mean that the idea didn’t work?

In the Żabka belt office we learned that it was decided to change the development strategy for this concept. It is true that almost half of the open stores are still open to the public, but “specialized locations” are in the lead. We are talking about facilities available to selected groups of recipients: employees of office buildings, logistics centers and production plants, or residents of dormitories. Company representatives argue that this change allows the offer to be better tailored to customer needs.

To put it bluntly: younger customers, residents or dormitory visitors may be interested in different products, and factory workers may be interested in different products. The small area forces the offer to be quite radically limited. And focusing on products that actually find customers can result in Nano points achieving satisfactory results. However, since the number of such institutions is not increasing, will the format be developed?

According to the information we have obtained, yes. The Żabka press office assured us that This year, more stores are planned to be opened in various locations in Poland. It is worth noting here that the concept is also being tested outside our country. Germans can use unattended stores in several locations.

From the documents provided by Żabka, you can learn that Nano is not only an alternative to regular network facilities. You can also look at these facilities as spaces for experimentation. The company even talks about “innovation centers” for the entire group. They can show you how to increase efficiency in all facilities. Or increase energy efficiency. After all, for several years the company has been placing great emphasis on digitization and modernization of services.