OMV ventures with syreta to take the next step in the field of digitalization

syreta Unibox installation breaks new ground

On Monday, February 7, 2022, the first completely contactless and digitized gas station, the "OMV Fastlane", was presented and officially opened on Lunzerstraße in Linz. Once again, the specialists from syreta were significantly involved, providing the technology for the Unibox and also implementing the conversion to the new store concept. Instead of being built into a container as before, the autonomous store was this time built directly into the existing premises of the former Avanti gas station.

From the initial discussions to the completion of the new integrated Unibox, not even six months passed. As early as December, the remodeled gas station opened its doors to customers for a trial run. The autonomous Unibox store, offering around 900 everyday products, can be accessed as usual with the Unimarkt app. The rest of the shopping process also works as before via the app and touchscreens—fast, uncomplicated, and contactless.

What technically makes an autonomous store possible?

Behind a functioning autonomous store is far more than an app and a touchscreen. For an operation like OMV Fastlane to run around the clock without staff, access control, payment system, inventory management, and merchandise management must mesh seamlessly. The Unimarkt app takes on the role of the cashier: it authenticates the customer, guides the shopping process, and handles payment entirely digitally. At the same time, data on stock levels, revenue, and system status continuously converge in the background—the basis for operating the store reliably even without the physical presence of employees. That syreta brought this technology to market readiness in less than six months and integrated it into existing premises demonstrates the potential of the autonomous store concept for Austrian retail.

The mineral oil group OMV, which years ago already digitally captured its sales areas together with syreta, succeeded with this flagship project in fully digitizing the sales area and thus creating an entirely new type of store in Austria. At the event, the managing directors also chatted about their future plans and revealed that the next “OMV FastLane” is set to be created in Graz in the coming months. We are already looking forward to it …

What makes the OMV FastLane on Lunzerstraße in Linz special is not only the technology—but the concept behind it. Instead of building an autonomous store into a container, this time the store concept was integrated directly into the existing premises. This is an important step toward scalability: autonomous stores no longer have to be thought of as a special solution, but can be embedded into existing infrastructure.

Around 900 everyday products, access via the app, payment via touchscreens—contactless, around the clock. That not even six months passed from the first conversations to completion shows how well-coordinated the collaboration between syreta and OMV has become. The next location in Graz is already being planned.

A very special tour through Austria’s first autonomous gas station is available here: