The idea of a self-service store arose partly because of necessity and partly because of trends in the industry. The goal was to offer a "friction-free shopping experience" always having the customer in focus.

Andreas Malo Dyb, Founder of Kastel, commented: “We are a relatively small player in a competitive market and have had to rethink. E-commerce is growing and we needed to find a compromise between a digital shopping experience and a physical store. The end result was better than expected"

The shoe store located in Briskeby (Oslo) is equipped with shoes in all models and sizes. A lock and security system with a video camera and remote-controlled lock allows customers to unlock from the inside and outside. In practice, this means that the customer no longer has to depend on shopping within normal opening hours.

Actual sales are made via Touchtech Vendo where the customer selects shoes that are sent directly home to the door from a Kastel dealer. "The solution is smart, durable and ensures that the customer does not have to carry the goods home. Completely in line with modern demands for flexibility and new patterns of action", the brand advocates. Andreas Malo Dyb added that the company has a great focus on delivery time. Today it is set on two to three days but aims at one delivery day and express delivery per hour.

According to Kastel the advantages of this new model is the fact lay on allowing a shopping experience which is mostly peaceful, quiet, and convenient as goods are deliver to the customer's home. On the other side, as stores won't need large premises or warehouses onsite that will have an impact on the company's costs. This ultimately can result in more players being able to have a location in the city centre of highly concentrated urban spaces.

The implement the model, Kastel has entered into a collaboration with the fashion platform Miinto and Touchtech. Jake Petersen, CEO of Miinto, stated: “We think this is a super exciting project that points to a positive trend that we will continue to work on. The advantage of being digital in a physical store is that the customer gets to try on the shoe before going online and buying the product. One of the biggest challenges in the industry is returns and this solution will reduce the number of returns (as) the customer will receive the product he or she wants, since we collect and deliver goods from all retailers who operate Kastel and are connected to our platform".

The self-service checkout, with a large touch screen, is supplied and provided by Retail Tech company Touchtech.