Today in Food Commerce: Chicken Wings Get the Robotic Treatment; Walmart Automates Distribution Centers

Today in food commerce, Wavemaker Labs and Wing Zone launch Wing Zone Labs, while Walmart announces plans to automate all its regional distribution centers. Plus, PYMNTS data reveal that prices stand between grocers and their would-be subscribers, and Geoff Alexander, president and CEO of Wow Bao, talks digital hospitality with PYMNTS’ Karen Webster.

Wing Zone Gets Robotic Treatment as Restaurant Industry Races Toward Automation

Earlier this month, incubator Wavemaker Labs and fast-casual brand Wing Zone announced the launch of Wing Zone Labs, an automation-focused franchisee in Southern California. Kevin Morris, president of Wavemaker Labs and chief financial officer and board member of Miso Robotics, spoke with PYMNTS about how this initiative plays into the company’s vision of the future of the industry.

Walmart Announces Robotic Transformation of Regional Distribution Centers

Walmart has announced that it is extending its partnership with automation technology company Symbotic to bring the latter’s robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) software to all 42 of the retailer’s regional distribution centers.

To Meet Consumer Demand for Grocery Subscriptions, Merchants Must Rethink Pricing

This month’s edition of the Subscription Commerce Conversion Index, created in collaboration with subscription eCommerce platform sticky.io, which drew from a survey of more than 1,900 U.S. adults, found that 56% of consumers would be interested in a grocery subscription if product prices were lower.

‘Dark Kitchen’ Brands Still Need to Focus on Virtual Hospitality

Geoff Alexander, president and CEO of Chicago-based Asian-style restaurant brand Wow Bao, which is available via hundreds of virtual locations in addition to a handful of brick-and-mortar stores, discussed in an interview with PYMNTS’ Karen Webster the challenges of maintaining customer relationships in digital spaces.