We will review your location network and propose an architecture
Equipment, collection workflows, payments and accounting-system exchange mapped out before development begins.
Self-Service Systems
Software for parcel lockers, vending machines and micro markets
Software for unattended retail and automated product collection across parcel locker compartments, vending machines and micro market displays. Below are the system modules, the processes they cover, and their connections to online stores, delivery services, CRM, ERP and warehouse systems.
What unattended retail
software is
Unattended retail — the sale and collection of goods at a location with no staff present. Customers use the equipment themselves, while software controls product availability, pricing, payment and dispensing.
A parcel locker, vending machine and micro market are three versions of the same challenge. Their physical mechanisms differ: an electronically locked compartment, a spiral or elevator inside a machine, or open displays and refrigerators. Their operational records are the same: product, price, inventory by location, order, payment and equipment event.
That is why all three are covered on one page. Parcel locker, vending and micro market software is built from the same modules; only the connected devices and dispensing workflow differ.
What the system consists of
- Location — a parcel locker, vending machine or micro market: the equipment customers use themselves
- On-device software — product selection, payment acceptance, compartment opening and offline operation
- Data core — products, prices, inventory by location, orders, compartments and transactions
- Process layer — reservations, compartment statuses, storage periods, returns, replenishment and cash collection
- Telemetry — equipment events from locks, door sensors, temperature sensors, payment modules and network connections
- Operations dashboard — the network operator's workspace: locations on a map, tasks, faults and inventory
- Integration layer — data exchange with online stores, delivery services, CRM, ERP, warehouse and payment services
- Analytics — sales by location, inventory turnover, equipment downtime and reports
The problems the system solves
Six reasons businesses implement unattended retail software. Without it, each task requires a site visit, a spreadsheet and a phone call.
One catalog across the network
Products, prices and planograms are managed centrally and distributed to every location. An airport vending machine and an office micro market use the same source of record, not separate files.
Sales without on-site staff
Customers select, pay for and collect products themselves around the clock. People are needed for replenishment, cash collection and fault resolution, not for every sale.
Reliable inventory
Inventory is reduced when the dispensing mechanism activates or a compartment opens. Replenishment routes are based on actual inventory, not last week's figures.
Controlled pricing
Prices change according to rules for a location, group of locations or schedule. Repricing a network of one hundred machines does not require a visit to every device.
Connection to accounting
Sales, payments, replenishments and write-offs reach the accounting system without re-entry. Reconciliation is no longer a separate month-end task.
Measurability
Operators can see what sells at each location, which compartments sit idle, how long equipment was unavailable and why.
Parcel lockers
compartments, codes and order collection
A parcel locker — a cabinet with compartments of different sizes that lets recipients collect orders without staff. Parcel locker software determines which compartment should hold a parcel, who may open it and with which code, and what happens when an order is not collected.
A compartment is an operational record with its own status and history, not just a door. One locker can therefore handle successive orders, and the availability of every compartment is known before the courier arrives.
What parcel locker software does:
- Compartment management — a locker map showing compartment sizes, occupancy and storage periods; the system automatically selects a compartment that fits the parcel
- Compartment statuses — available, reserved, occupied, awaiting removal, blocked or out of service. Every transition is logged with its time and author
- Order collection — the recipient enters a code on screen or presents it to the scanner; the system matches the code to the order and opens the correct door
- QR codes — a one-time code delivered in an app, email or message; the terminal scans it and invalidates it as soon as the compartment opens
- PIN codes — a numeric alternative when the scanner is unavailable or a phone screen cannot be read, with an expiry time and a limited number of attempts
- Product returns — reverse deposit: the customer creates a return, receives a code, places the item in an available compartment, and the locker records the door closing
- Storage period — a countdown with reminders; an uncollected order is scheduled for return to the sender and the compartment goes back into circulation
How an order enters a compartment
Courier deposit is a scanning workflow just like collection: the parcel label is scanned, the locker opens a suitable compartment, and closing the door confirms the deposit. From that moment, the parcel locker—not the courier—is responsible for the order.
The collection code belongs to the order, not the individual. It can be forwarded to another recipient, revoked and reissued. Every code transfer is recorded in the order history with its time and delivery method.
Exceptions
- A compartment fails to open — the order moves to an available one and the recipient receives a new code on the spot
- A door is left open — the locker reports it immediately and blocks the compartment until it is checked
- A parcel does not fit the selected compartment — the courier changes the size and the system recalculates capacity
- A code reaches the attempt limit — issuing a new one requires confirmation from the order owner
- The storage period expires — the order is scheduled for removal instead of remaining in the locker indefinitely
Parcel lockers: terminals, integrations and monitoring
One locker handles dozens of orders a day; a network handles thousands. The difference lies not in collection itself, but in everything around it: who deposits orders, who maintains the lockers and where orders originate.
Terminal management
A device registry stores each address, compartment-size configuration, access schedule, software version and maintenance owner. Settings and updates are deployed to terminals remotely.
Online store integration
The store receives a list of parcel lockers with their addresses, opening hours and size limits, sends an order, and receives status updates: deposited, collected, expired or returned.
Delivery service integration
API exchange with carriers covers locker assignment, shipment number, deposit confirmation, removal of uncollected orders and collection of returns along the route.
Equipment monitoring
The system monitors locks and door sensors, scanner and display operation, the payment module, power and connectivity. A failed compartment is blocked for new deposits instead of being discovered on arrival.
Occupancy and capacity
Operators can see how many compartments of each size are occupied now and how many will be occupied by evening based on storage periods. The dispatcher knows which locker can no longer accept delivery assignments.
Analytics
Compartment turnover, average time from deposit to collection, uncollected-order rate, occupancy by hour and day, and distribution by compartment size.
Payment terminal
A locker component, not a separate device: display, code scanner, card reader, contactless module and fiscal storage module. It accepts payment for cash-on-delivery orders, storage beyond the included period and items paid for at collection.
Cashless payment and payment monitoring
Cards, contactless payments, QR and instant payment systems, plus in-app payment. Each payment is linked to an order and compartment; its status—authorized, captured or refunded—is stored with the collection history and reconciled daily against the provider's register.
Fraud prevention and transaction monitoring
One-time codes have expiry times and attempt limits, and code reissues are rate-limited. The system checks that payment matches the compartment opening. Repeated failed entries, opening without payment and unusual activity by one recipient enter a review queue.
The terminal software, lock controller, server communication protocol and locker installation system are our own software and engineering work. This lets us configure compartments for the location and add new payment methods or collection workflows on the device instead of being limited by a third-party module.
Vending
machine and sales management
A vending machine sells a product through a short flow: selection, payment and dispensing. Vending machine software controls what the machine stocks, the price of each item, and what happens when the dispensing mechanism or payment fails.
The machine operates autonomously: sales continue without a server connection, and transactions are delivered when connectivity returns. Vending software therefore exchanges events rather than acting as a remote control.
What vending software does:
- Machine management — a device registry covering model, configuration, address and site, operating hours, responsible owner and lease terms
- Product catalog — a shared product catalog and planogram showing which product occupies each compartment, spiral or elevator position in a specific machine
- Prices — set by machine, machine group, site or schedule; updates are sent to the device and applied without a visit
- Inventory — a count for every machine slot, reduced when an item is dispensed, increased on replenishment and verified during service rounds
- Sales — every transaction records its time, product, amount, payment method and dispensing result, including failures
- Cashless payment — bank cards, contactless payments, QR and instant payment systems; cash includes change due and available coin float
- Remote configuration — planograms, prices, on-screen text, operating mode and software version are changed from the dashboard without physical access to the machine
- Reports — revenue and sales by machine, product, day and payment method; cash collection statements and reconciliation against bank records
When a product is not dispensed
A failed dispense is a standard event, not an exception: a spiral turns without releasing an item, a product jams or a slot is empty. The machine reports it immediately, the card payment is reversed without requiring a customer request, and the product is flagged for inspection on the next route.
Planograms are versioned. Changing the assortment at a site creates a new version with an effective date instead of overwriting fields, so sales before and after the change remain comparable.
What is configured by site
- An assortment and planogram tailored to the audience: office, station, educational institution or factory floor
- Scheduled prices and promotions, such as overnight pricing or a discount on an item nearing its expiry date
- Machine operating hours and available payment methods
- On-screen copy and interface language
- Inventory thresholds that add the machine to a replenishment route
Vending: telemetry and equipment health
A vending machine is unattended, so any malfunction causes downtime until the next visit. Telemetry shortens that interval by letting the device report its own condition.
Telemetry
The machine transmits sales, inventory by slot, mechanism errors, temperature, payment module status and door-opening events. Events are sent in batches and are not lost when connectivity fails.
Equipment status
Online, idle, dispensing error, jammed bill acceptor, insufficient change or refrigeration failure. Each status has its own priority and recipient.
Alerts and tasks
An event becomes an assigned task with a deadline, not a message in a group chat. Closing the task requires an on-site check-in and is recorded in the device history.
Connection protocols
A telemetry module communicates with machine controllers over MDB and EVA-DTS. A mixed fleet connects to one dashboard without replacing existing equipment.
Software updates
On-device software is updated remotely in groups: first a few machines, then the network. A failed update rolls back to the previous version.
Downtime analytics
Uptime percentage, failures per machine, time from fault to recovery, and sales lost during downtime.
Payment terminal
The payment module connects to the machine controller over MDB and operates as an independent unit: card reader, contactless module, QR scanner, bill and coin acceptors with coin-float tracking, and fiscal storage module. The terminal maintains its own transaction queue.
Cashless payment and payment monitoring
Cards, contactless payments, QR and instant payment systems. The amount is authorized before the mechanism runs and captured after a confirmed dispense; every transaction is reconciled with the dispense event, while cash is reconciled against collection statements and machine counters.
Fraud prevention and transaction monitoring
The system flags mismatches between payments and dispenses, repeated transactions on one card within a short period, abnormal cancellation and refund rates, cabinet tampering and doors opened outside a scheduled route. Metrics are calculated per device, so a problematic machine stands out from the network.
The telemetry module, MDB and EVA-DTS drivers, on-device software and payment stack are our own software and engineering work. A mixed fleet connects to one dashboard without equipment replacement, while support for a new protocol or payment method can be added within the module.
Micro markets
cashierless self-service
A micro market — a small retail location with open displays and refrigerators in a controlled environment such as an office, factory, residence hall or coworking space. Customers can physically access the products; there is no cashier, and payment is made at a terminal or in an app.
The key difference from a vending machine is that no mechanism restricts access to the products. That is why micro market software centers on inventory control and reconciliation rather than dispensing: the difference between sales and physical inventory is an operating metric for the location.
Control at such a location comes from three independent sources: computer vision over the displays, electronic locks with an opening log, and the payment terminal. Matching data is normal; a mismatch is an operational event linked to a specific customer session.
What the system does:
- Self-service — the customer takes a product, scans its barcode at the terminal or with a phone, and pays; the flow is the same day and night
- Cashierless payment — card, contactless, QR, in-app payment, a corporate account or an employee allowance instead of personal funds
- Displays and refrigerators — temperature-controlled equipment with an audit log; threshold breaches are recorded and the affected batch is flagged for inspection
- Product records — product master, barcodes, batches and expiry dates; an expired item cannot be checked out
- Sales — every purchase records its items, amount, payment method and time; the customer receives a digital receipt
- Inventory — calculated inventory at the location decreases on payment and increases on replenishment, while a stocktake establishes the physical count
- Reconciliation controls — the difference between calculated and physical inventory is measured for every stocktake, by product and location
- Computer vision — cameras above displays and inside refrigerators recognize which product was taken and which was returned to the shelf; each pick event is matched to the items on the session's paid receipt
- Electronic locks — a display or refrigerator door opens only after the customer is identified by card, an in-app QR code or a site access badge. The location controller operates the lock; there is no on-site key
How a location is replenished
Replenishing a micro market creates a goods-receipt document; it is not simply a matter of putting more items on the shelf. Products, batches and expiry dates are recorded during stocking, so expired inventory is written off automatically.
The assortment is selected from location data. A controlled environment has a stable customer base, and an item with no sales for two weeks occupies space that a faster seller could use.
Session control and fraud prevention
- Opening and closing control — every opening records its time, customer and duration; an unclosed door, an opening outside a session or an excessive open time is a separate event that triggers an alert
- User action identification — a session links a specific customer to the door opening, products taken and returned, and payment outcome, so disputes can be investigated from the event log
- Unpaid item detection — a product removed without payment closes as a session discrepancy: in a corporate environment the amount is charged to the customer's account; in an open environment the event enters a review queue with a video clip
- Fraud controls — limits by session and customer, card-testing indicators, repeated openings without a purchase, abnormal discrepancy rates by location and account, blocklists and temporary access suspension
What is measured at a location
- Revenue and purchase count by site and enrolled employee
- The difference between calculated and physical inventory, by value and item count
- Expired-inventory write-offs as a share of purchases
- Time an item remains on display before sale
- Share of purchases paid with a corporate allowance
- Share of sessions where products taken do not match products paid for
- Door openings without a purchase, by location and customer
Micro markets: multiple locations and integrations
A single location can run from a spreadsheet. A network needs one product master, shared pricing and one place to see every discrepancy.
Multi-location management
Each location is a record with its own address, equipment, assortment, prices and replenishment schedule. Changes apply to one location, a group or the entire network.
Permissions and roles
Network operators, route merchandisers, accountants and site representatives see different sections. Write-offs and inventory adjustments require separate permissions.
CRM integration
Customers in the controlled environment, corporate allowances, support requests and assortment feedback. Segments drive personalized pricing and offers.
ERP integration
Product master, purchase prices, sales documents and settlement with sites and suppliers. The accounting system—not the location—owns the master data.
Warehouse integration
Replenishment requests, dispatch to a route, and receipt of returns and expired products. Location and warehouse inventory are managed within one system.
Payment services
Provider connections, fiscal receipt generation, refunds for failed purchases, and daily reconciliation against provider records and bank statements.
Payment terminal
The self-service station at a location includes a barcode scanner, display, card reader, contactless module, fiscal storage module and, for products sold by weight, a scale module. The terminal is where a purchase becomes paid, so its health is monitored alongside the refrigeration equipment.
Cashless payment and payment monitoring
Cards, contactless payments, QR, in-app payment, corporate accounts and employee allowances. Each purchase is stored with its receipt items, location and time, while daily reconciliation matches provider transactions, fiscal documents and inventory deductions.
Fraud prevention and transaction monitoring
Computer vision and electronic locks record what leaves the location; the payment system records what was paid for. Control focuses on mismatches between these two streams: unpaid items, unusual account behavior and abnormal write-off rates at a location are investigated through the opening event.
The terminal and location software, electronic lock controllers, video-stream processing and fraud-control rules are our own software and engineering work. Equipment can therefore be selected for the premises and assortment: an open display, a locked refrigerator or an access-controlled cabinet all operate within the same inventory system.
Solution ecosystem
A parcel locker, vending machine and micro market are locations within one system, not three separate products. Each uses the same set of components: on-site hardware and software, a payment terminal, a backend platform, an administration panel, customer and operator apps, analytics, reporting, fraud prevention and integrated logistics. Below is a breakdown of each component and its role.
On-site hardware and software
A location combines equipment with on-device software: a lock or dispensing-mechanism controller, scanner, display, payment module, door sensors and temperature sensors. It operates autonomously and continues serving customers if the server connection is lost.
Equipment
Parcel locker cabinets with different compartment sizes, vending machines with spirals and elevators, micro market displays and refrigerators, electronic locks, scanners, scales and computer-vision cameras. Each asset has a registry record with its configuration and service history.
Payment terminals
Payment acceptance across all three location types: card reader and contactless module, PIN pad, QR scanner and fiscal storage module; vending machines also include bill and coin acceptors. The terminal keeps its own transaction queue, so payments continue when connectivity fails.
Backend platform
Event ingestion from locations, the operational data core, message queues, and task and report schedulers. It scales with the number of locations and includes immutable transaction logs plus backups with scheduled recovery testing.
Administration panel
The network operator's workspace: locations on a map, equipment health, inventory, prices and planograms, tasks and faults, roles and permissions, plus an audit log of employee actions and service openings.
Device management system
Device and key registration, remote configuration, staged software updates with rollback, component restarts and access revocation. The status and version of every device are known centrally.
Operational data core
Products and barcodes, batches and expiry dates, prices and pricing rules, inventory by location and compartment, orders, sales and transactions. One source of record serves the entire network regardless of equipment type.
Telemetry and monitoring
One event stream from every location: sales and dispenses, mechanism errors, door openings, display temperatures, payment module status and connectivity. During an outage, events queue on the device and are sent in a batch; any abnormal condition becomes an assigned, time-bound task instead of a line in a log.
Customer mobile app
Location map and opening hours, collection codes, payment and corporate allowance, purchase history and digital receipts, return creation, and notifications for order readiness and storage deadlines.
Operator and field staff app
Shift route, scan-based replenishment, stocktakes, cash collection, reason-and-photo write-offs, and completion of technical tasks. It works offline: operations queue locally and are submitted when connectivity returns.
Analytics
Sales, margin, turnover, downtime, losses and unmet demand by period, location, site, equipment type, product, category, payment method and route assignee.
Reporting
Scheduled reports and exports: revenue by location and legal entity, cash collection statements, write-off records, reconciliation with payment providers and banks, and data for the accounting system. Schedules and recipients are configurable.
Fraud prevention system
Transaction rules and limits, behavioral signals, matching payment events to dispensing or door openings, blocklists, and a queue of suspicious operations for session-level manual review.
API and integrations
A documented API, webhooks and message queues for online stores, delivery services, CRM, ERP, warehouse, online fiscal systems and payment services. Format versioning, receiver idempotency and an exchange log.
Integrated logistics system
Product allocation across locations, route management, inventory control, replenishment planning and centralized network management—in the same system that records sales, not in a separate spreadsheet.
In this architecture, the payment terminal is not a peripheral but a core component: it completes the sale at all three location types and is the only place where a purchase becomes paid. The terminal software, server communication protocol, equipment-controller interfaces and installation kit are our own software and engineering work, so payment methods, authorization rules and offline behavior can be tailored to the network.
Integrated
logistics system
Logistics in unattended retail — the movement of products between a warehouse and dozens of locations, each selling at a different rate. The module is built into the system that records sales and inventory, so decisions use location data rather than a logistics planner's separate file.
What the module covers:
- Product allocation across locations — what and how much to deliver is calculated from the product's sales rate at that location, current inventory, compartment or shelf capacity, and batch expiry dates. A fast seller is not sent to a location where it sits for a month
- Route management — locations are grouped into routes by inventory, faults and deadlines, accounting for area, site access windows, vehicle capacity and the assignee's working hours. Routes are assigned to field staff and can change during a shift
- Inventory control — calculated inventory by location and slot is updated on each sale and replenishment, while route stocktakes establish the physical count; discrepancies are recorded on site with a reason and enter the loss report
- Replenishment planning — forecasts from each location's sales history, the inventory threshold that adds it to the next route, and the expected stockout date. A warehouse request is created before the shelf is empty
- Centralized network management — warehouse, routes, field staff, locations and inventory in one system: stock dispatched to a route is assigned to the staff member, returns and expired items come back through documents, and unfinished work moves to the next route
How a route is built
A route is a shift task list, not a fixed timetable. It includes locations below their inventory threshold, locations with open faults, locations with expiring batches and scheduled visits required by site agreements. Stop order accounts for geography and access windows: a 6 a.m. warehouse visit and a business center that opens at 9 a.m. are not placed in the same time block.
The load is calculated before departure, so field staff receive exactly what has been allocated to locations on the route. Stock still on hand after the shift is an operational record just like stock at a location: it either returns to the warehouse through a document or carries over to the next route.
What logistics measures
- Locations per route and actual time per location
- Share of products that stocked out before planned replenishment
- Logistics cost per location and per item sold
- Returns and write-offs as a share of stock dispatched to the route
- Replenishment forecast accuracy: planned versus actual consumption
How payments work
A location neither stores card data nor processes payments itself. It sends the operation to a payment module or provider, receives the result and links it to the sale. Everything else is payment lifecycle management in an unattended environment.
| Location | Operation | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine A-207 | Hold before dispense | 145 | Authorized |
| Machine A-112 | Captured after dispense | 210 | Completed |
| Machine A-118 | Spiral failed | 160 | Hold released |
| Parcel locker P-14 | Payment on collection | 1 280 | Completed |
| Micro market BC-3 | Corporate allowance | 320 | Completed |
| Parcel locker P-31 | Extended storage | 150 | Retry |
The mechanism failed, so the hold was released without a refund transaction and the product was flagged for inspection on the next route. Replaying the event with the same operation key does not create a second record.
1 240network transactions
99.1%successful dispenses
11released holds
0discrepancies
Three sources are reconciled: provider transactions, fiscal documents and equipment dispensing events. Vending-machine cash is reconciled separately against cash collection statements and device counters.
Payment methods
Bank cards and contactless terminal payments, QR and instant payment systems, in-app payment, employee corporate allowances, and cash with change in vending machines.
Authorization hold before dispensing
The amount is held before the mechanism runs and captured after a confirmed dispense. If the product is not dispensed, the hold is released without a refund transaction.
Offline operation
Offline mode accepts payment under the payment module's rules and submits the transaction when connectivity returns. A network outage does not stop sales.
Idempotency
Resubmitting a transaction does not create a second payment or deduct inventory twice. The server and provider recognize duplicates by operation key.
Fiscal receipt
After payment, a fiscal receipt is generated and sent to the customer by email or message. If dispensing fails, a refund receipt is generated for the undelivered items.
Reconciliation and cash collection
Daily matching of transactions to provider records and bank statements, a cash statement for each machine, and a separate review list for discrepancies.
The payment terminal is shared by all three location types and is one of the system's core components. Network revenue passes through it, and a terminal failure stops sales even when the rest of the equipment works. The terminal is therefore registered like the location itself: its software version, available payment methods, fiscal storage status and latest reconciliation result are visible in the administration panel.
How inventory
is calculated by location
Available inventory in unattended retail is tied to a place rather than a warehouse: a vending slot, display shelf or refrigerator zone. The same product at two network locations has two independent inventory figures and two different sales rates.
Calculated inventory = loaded during replenishment − sold − written off (expiry, damage or failed dispense). A route stocktake establishes the physical count, and the difference between the two is a measurable location metric.
Data exchange methods:
- Device events — sales, dispenses, errors and door openings are sent to the server when they occur
- Local queue — during a network outage, events accumulate on the device and are later sent in a batch, so nothing is lost
- Operation key — replaying an event does not deduct inventory a second time
- Documented replenishment — products, batches and expiry dates are recorded during stocking rather than reconstructed later
- Route stocktake — compartments and shelves are counted on a phone, and any discrepancy is recorded on site with a reason
Benefits of accurate inventory records
- Replenishment routes are based on actual consumption, not the calendar
- A fast-selling item does not run out the day before a scheduled visit
- Expired products are written off by batch date instead of being discovered by customers
- Procurement sees the true sales rate for each location separately
- Each location's assortment is revised from data, not operator intuition
- Losses are measured by value and product instead of as a general shortage
Common causes of discrepancies
- Replenishment recorded from the plan rather than the products actually stocked
- A failed dispense without a matching refund and inventory write-off
- A planogram that does not match the actual spiral layout
- A product taken for tasting or inspection without a separate write-off
- A stocktake that omits some areas of the location
How
network operations work
Equipment is spread across different buildings and districts, while several mobile staff members service it. Operations are not simply a round of site visits; they are a queue of assigned, time-bound tasks with on-site confirmation.
The network operator works in the operations dashboard, with locations on a map, equipment health, inventory, faults and shift tasks. Merchandisers and technicians work in a mobile app with the same records, limited to their own routes.
What happens during a shift:
- Routes are built from actual inventory, expiry dates and open faults rather than a fixed visit schedule
- Loading a route is recorded as a warehouse dispatch: every item issued to a staff member remains assigned to them
- Replenishment is confirmed by scanning the product, location, compartment or zone, time and staff member
- Stocktakes happen on site and discrepancies are recorded immediately with a reason, not compiled at the end of the day
- Expired and damaged products are written off with a reason and photo, then returned on the return leg
- Cash from vending machines is collected against a statement and matched to device transactions
- A technical task is closed with an on-site record of the issue, the work performed and the equipment's current status
- Unreplenished inventory and unresolved faults move to the next route automatically
How the route app works
- One screen, one task: location, task, scan field and confirmation; reports and reference data remain in the operations dashboard
- Offline operation — operations enter a local queue and reach the server when connectivity returns, since underground car parks and factory floors may have none
- Immediate validation — the wrong product or location blocks the step, so the error is fixed immediately instead of at the next stocktake
- Operation key — resubmission does not create a second replenishment or deduct inventory twice
Metrics to track
- Percentage of time a location was available for sales
- Locations per route and time per location
- Share of products that stocked out before planned replenishment
- Time from fault to service restoration
- Stocktake discrepancy by value and item count
Compartments and dispensing
Products and sales
Payments
Telemetry and analytics
How
integrations work
Integration — an agreed data exchange with an external system: what is transferred, in which format, how often, who owns the data and what happens when something fails.
The key decision is data ownership. Product master and purchase prices come from ERP, customers and segments from CRM, warehouse inventory from the warehouse system, while sales and equipment events originate at each location. Allowing the same field to be edited in two systems creates permanent discrepancies, so it is avoided.
Systems commonly connected:
- Online stores — orders for parcel locker collection, locker addresses and occupancy, and collection statuses
- Delivery services — pickup-location assignment, shipments, deposits and removal of uncollected orders
- CRM — customers, support requests, segments, corporate allowances and personalized prices
- ERP and accounting system — product master, prices, sales documents and settlement with sites
- Warehouse — replenishment requests, dispatch to routes, returns and write-offs
- Payment services — authorization, capture, refund and transaction records for reconciliation
- Online fiscal systems — fiscal receipts for sales and returns, plus monitoring of unsent documents
- Telemetry modules — MDB, EVA-DTS and equipment-manufacturer protocols
How data exchange works
Exchange is asynchronous: a sale at a location does not wait for an external system. The message enters a queue, retries with increasing intervals after failures, and moves to a review queue if every attempt fails.
Every message is stored with its payload, time, result and attempt count, so incident investigation relies on the exchange log rather than memory.
What is tested before launch
- Receiver idempotency: replaying a message does not create a second record
- API versioning: a format change is released as a new version while the old one continues to work
- Conflict resolution: which system's value wins when records differ
- External-system limits: requests per minute supported by ERP and warehouse systems
- Regular reconciliation of key metrics: sales, payment amounts and inventory
What data
analytics provides
Analytics uses the system's own sales and equipment data rather than external counters. A counter knows about visits; the system knows about revenue, products, downtime and losses.
Reports can be broken down by period, location, site, equipment type, product, category, payment method and route assignee. Every metric is available across each dimension and can be exported to a file or data warehouse.
Sales and revenue
- Revenue and sales count by location, site and network
- Average transaction value and payment-method mix
- Product margin including purchase cost and route logistics
- Failed payment and refund rates
Products and inventory
- Sales ranking by location and products with no sales
- Inventory turnover and days of demand coverage before replenishment
- Lost sales: attempts to select an out-of-stock product
- Write-offs from expiry, damage and stocktake discrepancies
Equipment and locations
- Equipment availability and downtime duration
- Failures by type: mechanism, payment, connectivity and temperature
- Utilization by hour and day of week, plus site seasonality
- Parcel locker compartment turnover and uncollected-order rate
How security is maintained
The equipment stands in public locations and operates without supervision. Security therefore rests on three principles: payment data never enters the system, each device proves its identity, and every action involving money or compartments leaves an audit trail.
Payment data
A certified payment module reads the card, and the card number never enters the system. Recurring charges and corporate allowances use a token, not stored card data.
Device identity
Each location communicates with the server over an encrypted channel using its own key. Revoking one key disconnects that device without affecting the rest of the network.
Collection codes
QR and PIN codes are single-use, with limited lifetimes and entry attempts. A redeemed code cannot reopen a compartment.
Access permissions
Role-based access means a merchandiser cannot change prices and a technician cannot view revenue. Opening a compartment with service access requires a separate permission and a stated reason.
Audit log
The log records who opened a compartment, changed a planogram, wrote off inventory or completed cash collection. Records are immutable and stored separately from operational data.
Personal data
The system stores only the recipient data it needs, with defined retention periods, deletion on request, and dated, sourced consent for processing and notifications.
Recovery is a separate discipline. Backups are useless until restoration has been tested: a test deployment runs on a schedule, not for the first time during an incident.
System modules
The system is assembled from modules, each responsible for a defined set of data and operations with explicit connections between them. Delivery is phased: first locations, products and payments, followed by telemetry, routes and analytics.
Location and equipment registry
Parcel lockers, vending machines and micro markets: address, site, configuration, operating hours, software version, responsible owner and lease terms.
Compartment management
Locker map by compartment size, automatic size selection, statuses and storage periods, failed-compartment blocking and opening log.
Order collection
Courier deposits, QR and PIN codes, code reissue and revocation, collection confirmation and removal of uncollected orders.
Returns through a compartment
Return request, reverse-deposit code, door-closing confirmation, warehouse receipt and customer refund.
Catalog and planogram
Shared product master, barcodes, product assignment to a compartment, spiral or display zone, and versioned planograms with effective dates.
Price management
Prices by location, location group and schedule, corporate and personalized terms, rounding, taxes and change history.
Sales and transactions
One sales queue from every location, dispensing outcome, failed operations, receipts, cancellations and refunds.
Payments
Payment provider and module connections, authorization and capture, cashless payments and cash, refunds and reconciliation.
Fiscal receipts
Sales and return receipts, exchange with online fiscal systems, receipt delivery to the customer and monitoring of unsent documents.
Inventory and replenishment
Inventory by compartment and zone, batches and expiry dates, replenishment requests, route dispatches, write-offs and expired stock.
Cycle counting
Phone-based stocktakes at each location, discrepancies with reasons, count history, and losses by value, location and product.
Routes and tasks
Route building from inventory and faults, staff assignment, scan-based operation confirmation and carryover of unfinished work.
Cash collection
Statements by machine, reconciliation of cash against device transactions, coin float and transfer of revenue to the cash office.
Telemetry
Equipment event ingestion, offline queues, MDB and EVA-DTS protocols, and device status history.
Monitoring and faults
Real-time location status, thresholds and alerts, resolution tasks and time to service restoration.
Remote management
Updates to prices, planograms, on-screen copy and operating mode, plus staged on-device software deployments with rollback.
Temperature control
Temperature logs for refrigerated displays, thresholds and alerts, and batch inspection flags after an excursion.
Customers and allowances
Accounts, corporate billing and employee allowances, customer app, purchase history and digital receipts.
Notifications
Collection codes, storage-period reminders, receipts and return statuses by email, SMS and messenger, with a delivery log.
Analytics and reports
Sales, margin, turnover, downtime, losses and unmet demand across custom dimensions, exports and data marts.
Integrations and API
Exchange with online stores, delivery services, CRM, ERP, warehouse, fiscal and payment services. API, webhooks and queues.
Access control and audit
Roles and permissions by section and operation, two-factor authentication, and audit logs for employee actions and service openings.
Multiple location formats
Parcel lockers, vending machines and micro markets in one system, with multiple legal entities and sites, regions, currencies and on-device interface languages.
Field applications
On-device software, merchandiser and technician app, and the network operator's operations dashboard—all on one data core.
Implementation sequence
The entire system is not launched in one release. The sequence below reflects dependencies: every step relies on data created by the previous one.
Audit and data model
Equipment fleet, connection protocols, and current replenishment and accounting processes. The result is an entity model and integration map.
Locations and products
Device registry, product master, planograms, prices and inventory. A pilot at several locations validates the system against real data.
Payments and dispensing
Payment modules, fiscal receipts, collection codes and returns. Launch across part of the network with daily transaction reconciliation.
Expansion
Telemetry, routes and stocktakes, accounting integrations and analytics. Each area is a separate release with measured results.
Our Clients
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Tell us what is already in place: equipment fleet, accounting system, warehouse and payment provider. We will review the process and propose a solution architecture.
