KeyMe, a startup that is placing self-serve key duplication kiosks within retail stores, is seeking to make life easier for consumers who need a new key immediately. Also, by placing the kiosks in more than 2,000 retail locations including Albertsons/Rite Aid, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kroger, Mall of America, Sears/Kmart and 7-Eleven, the brand is helping drive more foot traffic into brick-and-mortar stores.
“Our existing retailers are currently requesting more than 10,000 kiosks,” said KeyMe CEO Greg Marsh in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “The reasons they’re requesting such a high number is primarily because we’re driving traffic physically into these stores in a really compelling way. For every single kiosk that we launch, within 48 hours, our marketing team is getting that specific location listed on Google Maps as the best place locally to copy a key. Through SEO we typically rank No. 1 for that listing. When someone types ‘copy keys’ into Google, our listing is coming up first.”
KeyMe grew its revenue by more than 300% in 2017, and with the expansion, is on track to more than triple it again in 2018. Marsh is confident that the expansion will continue with its other retail partners. For example, the company recently signed an exclusive contract with Albertsons Cos., and is expanding the presence in its grocery stores from 358 kiosks in May to 500 by late July 2018.
At KeyMe kiosks, shoppers can scan, store and create duplicates of their home, office, mailbox, high security, automotive and even RFID keys in less than 30 seconds. The company’s iOS and Android mobile applications allow customers to scan and save a digital copy of their key, facilitating quicker access to their keys in the future. For example, if a customer gets locked out of their home, they can visit KeyMe at a local retail location, log into their account and print out a spare key.