Customers can skip the traditional checkout lines by opting for the cashierless technology
Customers can enter the Amazon Fresh store in three ways using the Just Walk Out shopping option. (Credit: Amazon.com, Inc.)
Amazon is set to introduce its cashierless technology – Just Walk Out in a new full-size Amazon Fresh grocery store at The Marketplace at Factoria in Bellevue, Washington.
According to the company, customers can pick the groceries they want in the shop and skip the checkout lines by opting for the new cashierless experience.
The Just Walk Out technology uses a mix of computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning.
It has been used by Amazon for many years at its Amazon Go stores and subsequently in Amazon Go Grocery stores, Amazon Fresh stores in the UK. The cashierless technology has also been offered to third-party retailers for using in their stores.
The technology connects to the Amazon account or credit card of customers, who are prompted at the entry gates if they want to use it or the conventional checkout lanes.
Amazon physical retail and technology vice president Dilip Kumar said: “Customers have enjoyed the effortless shopping experience enabled by our Just Walk Out technology at our Amazon Go, Amazon Go Grocery, Amazon Fresh stores in the UK, and third-party retailer stores.
“The feedback has been fantastic, with customers noting that skipping the checkout allows them to save time and reduce contact in stores.”
Customers who have taken the Just Walk Out shopping option can enter the Amazon Fresh store in three ways. These include scanning the QR code in their Amazon app or using Amazon One to scan their palm, or inserting a credit or debit card linked to their Amazon account.
Any of the three options will open the Just Walk Out gates, said Amazon.
When customers pick anything off the shelf, it is added automatically to their virtual cart. Any item that is put back on the shelf disappears from their virtual cart accordingly.
After the completion of their shopping, customers who opted for the Just Walk Out technology have to either simply scan or insert their entry method again to leave the store.
Shoppers who have opted for the new cashierless experience will get digital receipts in their Amazon account.