Over the last few months, I have had many people ask me… “So, what does Koloni actually do?” These questions typically come from industry insiders that are trying to make sense of our newsletter campaigns and LinkedIn posts. A long-winded answer from me typically follows that question. The long answer is due to my excitement about the product we are building, but additionally, all the value we are creating for customers and partners.
So why is Koloni different, you ask? Here are the five key differentiators that I am always excited to talk about!
Multiple Modes - A mode of | delivery - storage - rental - vending - service pick-up | can be programmed at the door level. What does this mean? Imagine having a bank of doors that each door can be used for a different type of application and use case. This flexibility enables businesses to simultaneously deploy lockers for many use cases and manage them from a single interface.
- Why is this important? Utilization rate should be the key metric when discussing the proliferation of lockers. To maximize the potential of locker locations and doors, we need to increase the utilization rate of lockers.
API Infrastructure - Lock transactions are typically part of a larger user experience. Maybe the user ordered products online, and the delivery/pick-up is at a locker location. OR a food order at a baseball game, and the items are picked up by the user in a locker. Simplistic API documentation is critical to connecting lockers to all these transactions. We have the most simplistic APIs for companies of all sizes to integrate and utilize. Our APIs will also fast-track you to a variety of integrated hardware devices.
Phone-centric (kiosk when needed) - We see many similarities between the current smart locker industry and where micro-mobility was prior to the e-scooter explosion. Kiosk-based interfaces create higher CAPEX for companies, more failure points in the hardware, and a poor user experience. We believe that the best “kiosk” is in everyone’s pocket. There are certainly exceptions where a traditional kiosk or tablet is a requirement. But this evolution will continue with more and more locker networks moving to a headless design. Simple web applications for users to quickly access an item, package, or store a backpack are the ideal experience and the expectation in 2023.
Beautifully Designed Products - Simplicity is the focus when creating the best user experience for locker access. Our product team focuses on creating the best user experience for end users and locker owners. The majority of the industry is managed on locker management software that has vibes of 1994. An outdated experience that is not enjoyable for anyone managing a locker network. I am confident in saying we have an industry-leading design team that focuses on feature enrichment but also simplicity.
Hardware Agnostic - Enabling flexibility is a focus at Koloni. Different hardware products and fulfill different applications, environments, and use cases. We want to enhance the hardware products currently in the market by integrating them into our platform. I focus on being hardware agnostic, allowing current locker owners to update their current locker network, enabling hardware companies to expand into new markets, and providing flexibility regarding supply chain and lead times to customers.
Conclusion - Hardware-focused companies have led the smart locker industry in the first phase of the industry’s growth. We believe we can simultaneously enhance existing networks while creating a leveling up for new customers. We are focused on maximizing utilization rates, simplifying costs, deployments, and managing locker networks. Koloni is disrupting the locker industry.
