Mike Rivalto, Memphis businessman and entrepreneur, first began contemplating SmartMart in 1983 based on the idea that faster and more efficient is better.

The genesis of the idea actually came from a conversation Mike had with his wife Becky.  At the time, Becky was pregnant with their daughter and was lamenting the fact that she had to park the car, get out and walk all the way back to a local grocery store just to get a gallon of milk.  It was during the course of this conversation that Mike began to wonder if there might be a better way...

After seven years in R&D and testing, Smartmart seemed destined to suffer the same fate as many other new inventions. However, as technology caught up to the concept, advancements in video conferencing and surveillance significantly reduced costs and made production of the first prototype possible.

During Smartmart's early years, the first prototype was created, however it was never fully completed as it was decided during the development that various design improvements could be made. Hence, the creation of the "proof of concept" store, which was originally assembled in Gratz, Austria by PEEM, a company that specialized in automated systems. This store is now located at the corner of Park and White Station in East Memphis.

Over the past 3 years this "proof of concept" store has completed over 1.2 million transactions. Just as the public was ready for drive-thru fast food, bank ATMs, and automated airline check-in kiosks, they were ready and willing to consistently use this new technology. In 2010, it is projected that "retail on demand" or the receiving of goods and services without human intervention, will count for $1 trillion in revenue. Smartmart is poised to take advantage of this opportunity with our new 2009 production model.