Livello Smart Kiosk

Two sizes, one system logic. The product brochure specifies for the single refrigerator 85 centimetres wide, 62 centimetres deep and 213 centimetres high, with 374 litres net capacity and 140 kilograms; the current product page lists the unit as 900 x 2,120 x 655 millimetres, 438 litres gross capacity and 105 kilograms. The difference is explained by net versus gross specification and a revised generation of the unit. For site planning, the larger number is relevant: 90 centimetres width plus door swing clearance.

The dual station measures 153 centimetres and provides 748 litres net capacity. What matters is not the width, but that no one needs to purchase the larger configuration from the start. A second refrigeration module is mechanically coupled via upper and lower connector pieces, after which LAN and power connections are plugged in. The user manual dedicates its own chapter to this retrofit. The European patent also describes the dual-cabinet configuration, optionally as two refrigerators or as a combination of refrigerated and freezer unit.

Visually, the Smart Kiosk resembles a retail shelf more than a vending machine. Large glass door, LED light strips across the shelves, illuminated branding area at the top, service and payment unit with a 10.1-inch touchscreen to the side. The branding area is white-label: a caterer, hotel operator or vending operator displays their own logo there, with Livello not visible to the end customer.

The purchase process follows Amazon Go Store logic, not vending-machine logic. Authorise with debit or credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, app or NFC staff card, open the door, take or return products, close the door. Billing is only for what is actually missing; the receipt arrives digitally via QR code. Someone who picks up a bowl, reads the label and puts it back pays nothing. A spiral vending machine cannot do exactly that by design.

A detail from installation practice: the door swings forward, the service and payment unit sits to the side. If you place the unit in an alcove, you therefore need not only 90 centimetres of wall width, but also clear swing space and side access to the terminal. The same applies twice over for the dual station.

Detection sits beneath the goods, not in front of them. According to the product brochure, 12 M-scales on 6 shelves are standard equipment, with up to 15 scales per refrigerator combinable. An S-scale measures 16 x 35 centimetres, an M-scale 25 x 35 centimetres. Adjustable wire shelves and interchangeable scale sizes allow you to adapt the interior to a different product range without changing the dispensing mechanism.

When someone takes a product, the weight distribution at that exact position changes. The system links the measurement to the planogram, product master data and current shopping session, updating the shopping cart on the display even as the customer shops. Products placed back disappear from the shopping cart again.

The practical difference from three established approaches shows itself before the first sales minute, not after. A classic spiral vending machine ties its product range to its mechanics: a new package size requires the matching spiral or delivery chute, a change means tools and technician time on site. RFID smart fridges require one tag per stock unit—to be sourced, affixed to each product and linked in the system—one cost item and one work step per article. Camera-based systems must first train on a new product, usually through photo or video material from multiple angles, before image recognition can reliably distinguish it from similar items.

For a new product, the Smart Kiosk requires two entries: store the weight once in the cloud, assign the scale position in the planogram. No spiral, no RFID tag, no training video. This significantly lowers the barrier for small, frequently changing product ranges, such as those in farm shops, seasonal operations or rotating catering schedules, compared to spiral or RFID systems.

This is documented as European Patent EP3937141B1: application published 12 January 2022, granted 3 January 2024, filed by Livello GmbH, priority 8 July 2020. Claims cover sensors for detecting weight changes with spatial coordinates, an evaluation unit for their temporal progression, and linking multiple sensor sources into a single recognition object.

A camera is not part of the equipment. The sensing built into the Smart Kiosk is limited to weight, position and time—no image recognition in the sales space. This is more than a technical detail: camera-based smart fridges must continuously capture images of customers at the shelf to assign products, bringing them into a data-protection discussion that many providers in this category have not yet cleanly resolved. With purely weight-based sales, no image data of people are collected—the question does not arise.

According to the brochure, the unit also includes temperature monitoring and control, an electromagnetic door lock with access control, integrated voice guidance and an internet gateway. The unit complies with CE and RoHS directives.

What this means in daily operation is shown by comparing two failure scenarios. If a spiral drive fails on a spiral vending machine, that position is dead until a technician arrives. If a scale fails on the Smart Kiosk, Mission Control reports the affected shelf, and the rest of the unit continues selling.

295 watts connected load, 3.62 kilowatt-hours per 24 hours, 230 volts at 50 hertz: extrapolated, that is approximately 1,320 kilowatt-hours per year. At an assumed commercial electricity rate of approximately €0.30 per kilowatt-hour, this results in approximately €396 annual energy costs. Door openings, ambient temperature and fill level shift the figure upward. The cooling operates between +2 and +10 degrees, with approximately 3.5 degrees being typical according to the user manual. At 45 dBA, the unit remains quieter than normal office conversation.

Restocking is done in replenisher mode: open the door, add or remove products, stock changes display in real time, and after closing the new quantities go to inventory management. Livello cites under five minutes per restocking. With a network of multiple locations, the real gain is not the minute saved on site: stock levels are known before the route, deliveries can be planned by actual need rather than calendar.

Mission Control is the command centre. There, units, products, prices, users, transactions, restocks and temperature logs reside; firmware and configuration can be rolled out remotely, and error messages and remote diagnostics are meant to spare service calls. For integration with ERP, POS and closed-loop systems, manufacturer documentation cites interfaces; terminals documented include CCV IM15 and Worldline Valina; staff cards, badges and tokens run through closed-loop integration with meal subsidies, direct debit, prepaid accounts or payroll.

Physical maintenance does not disappear as a result. The capacitor and condensate drain should be checked and cleaned two to four times per year, plus normal interior cleaning of a refrigerated unit. The hard operational requirement remains a data connection. If it fails, regular sales functions are not fully available according to the user manual. Site survey here means first network coverage, then power outlet.

For site approval, a fixed sequence is therefore recommended: measure network coverage, check power outlet, survey footprint and door swing space, only then define product range and planogram. This sequence avoids the most common rework: a fully stocked unit at a location without reliable connectivity.

The unit does not accept cash. Payment is exclusively digital, by card, wallet or staff ID; locations with customer groups lacking cards or smartphones need a separate cash option. Card payments run through pre-authorisation with subsequent partial reversal to the actual purchase amount. If the bank does not process the partial reversal immediately, the customer sees a temporarily higher deduction for the pre-authorised amount until the institution releases the difference—a process neither Livello nor the operator can accelerate.

The Smart Kiosk is not designed for outdoor use. The enclosure is not weatherproof, direct sunlight should be avoided, particularly because of the additional heat load on the cooling circuit and touchscreen. Indoor placement with fixed power outlet and stable network coverage therefore remains essential; a covered entrance alone is typically insufficient.

Livello names 700 products as the upper limit for the Smart Kiosk. This figure is not comparable to selection positions in a spiral vending machine because there is no fixed delivery position with motor and chute. Products sit openly on the shelf like in a convenience store; capacity is determined by package size, shelf height and planogram.

This changes what product range is even possible. A 0.5-litre bottle needs no matching spiral, a bowl need not fit through a delivery chute, a salad jar will not tip in any drop chute. Sandwiches, yoghurt cups, fruit baskets, bars and beverages stand side by side on the same shelf. The scale sets the limits: minimum 50 grams, maximum 15 kilograms per measurement surface, and the product must sit entirely on the surface without touching the sides or back wall. This is precisely what makes the shelf interesting for seasonally changing product ranges, such as in farm shops or rotating catering schedules several times a year.

Products are centrally created in the cloud with price, SKU, tax rate and planogram position. After that, a product range change is software work plus repositioning the wire shelves—no dispensing mechanism retrofit. A location can thus switch from cold beverages only to hot meals without replacing the unit.

For calculating sales area, the 2025 Chefs-Culinar catalogue provides a solid reference: it calculates the Livello Smart Fridge at 15 beverages, 15 meal trays and 12 impulse items sold per day over 310 operating days. At the contribution margins applied there of €1.50 per beverage, €2.50 per meal tray and €1.00 per impulse item, this mathematically yields approximately €23,250 gross margin per year per unit. Whether a location reaches this frequency depends on workforce size and location; the calculation shows, however, the scale at which a well-running location operates.

With the dual cabinet, the area doubles to 748 litres net capacity. Separate modules additionally allow clean product separation—for example, beverages on the left and fresh products on the right.

A limitation belongs in every product planning: two items of equal weight on the same scale position cannot be distinguished by weight alone. In practice, this is solved through the planogram by intentionally placing equal-weight items on separate positions.

Livello publishes no price list. An independent reference is provided by the Chefs-Culinar Catalogue Special Vending Concepts 2025: there, the Smart Fridge single refrigerator is listed at €7,500 base price, with delivery, installation and training billed by effort. In the same overview, a Stüwer SL3 with control module, payment module and microwave costs €24,399 investment, an Apitech Smart Pizza Nona €36,214, a SandenVendo G-Snack €9,474. With dual cabinet, branding wrap, payment terminal and integrations, the realistic range is approximately €7,000 to €12,000.

Against the purchase stand quantifiable operating costs: approximately €396 electricity per year, two to four maintenance cycles for the capacitor and condensate drain, plus the software licence for Mission Control, which Livello does not publicly disclose. What is eliminated compared to a classic vending machine is the dispensing mechanism as a wear and failure point. A stuck spiral motor is the most common on-site failure in vending; this component does not exist in the Smart Kiosk.

The second lever is in restocking. Where radio tag systems operate, each unit must be tagged and assigned before shelving. With the Smart Kiosk, this work step is eliminated entirely; products are shelved like in a chilled display case. At 30 to 50 items per restock and multiple routes per week, this adds up to labour time that appears in no acquisition calculation.

One limitation remains: the manufacturer's stated error and shrinkage rate of under 0.01 per cent is a manufacturer claim without published test protocol and is not suitable as a calculation basis.

In the final analysis, in the investment comparison, the Smart Kiosk is the least expensive of the four fresh and meal concepts presented in the catalogue, while also offering the greatest software functionality. The refrigerator is merely the frontend; what is being paid for is the complete system of weighing shelf, checkout, payment, inventory management and remote operation.

How this can pay off in operation is shown by a real case published by Livello from a clinic in North Rhine-Westphalia: a single refrigerator in the emergency waiting area and a dual refrigerator in the lobby there achieved an average of approximately €9,900 gross revenue per month combined. 79.7 per cent of that occurred outside regular canteen hours, 32.5 per cent during the night shift between 20:00 and 07:00, with a peak around 17:00 immediately after canteen closing. The units did not replace the canteen, but closed the supply gap for staff, patients and visitors outside service hours. Whether this scale translates to other locations depends on frequency and product range on site.

On the fixed-cost side: if the base price of €7,500 is depreciated linearly over seven years, approximately €1,070 per year is depreciation. Together with approximately €396 energy, the unit fixed-cost baseline is approximately €1,470 annually, before product, licence and service are added. The clinic case extrapolates to just under €119,000 annual gross revenue across both units, €9,900 times 12 months. Gross revenue is not contribution margin. The scale nevertheless shows the ratio of fixed costs to revenue potential at a well-running location.