The process of doing groceries has already changed quite a lot in the recent decade. Self-scan checkouts are common in almost every supermarket, groceries can be ordered online and picked up without even entering the supermarket and recently there is the rise of flash delivery services. For all these innovations human intervention within the grocery process is still needed. There are for example still cashiers available near self-scan checkouts.
This is what makes the Amazon “Just Walk Out” technology so unique. It creates entirely cashierless stores, called AmazonGo, where zero physical presence of employees is needed. A customer enters the shop and then scans a QR code with the AmazonGo app. Then the customer can grab anything he wants from the assortment and put it in his bag. There is no need to scan any of the products. Throughout the whole store cameras are placed that have an overview of each product. With computer vision based on deep learning algorithms every product that a customer grabs can be traced and put in the virtual shopping cart of the concerning customer. Even if a customer grabs a product and puts it back later, the computer vision will recognize this action and remove the product from the virtual shopping cart. If the customer has all the groceries, he can just leave the store without any interaction with checkouts. There is even no need to scan a QR code again. The costs of the groceries will automatically be charged from the customer’s AmazonGo account (Amazon, n.d.).
Besides the usage of the technology within its own AmazonGo stores, Amazon also provides Just Walk Out technology to other retailers like Hudson, a large travel retail in North America. This so-called “Hudson non-stop” store was firstly introduced at the Dallas Love Field airport in 2021 (Berthiaume, 2022). Especially for these airport shops the technology is very suitable. They key function of them according to Amazon is removing any friction. At airports passengers might be in a hurry and want to grab something to drink really fast. This makes these “frictionless” stores a perfect fit for the passengers’ needs.
The usage of the Just Walk Out technology might radically change the way how people do groceries. However, it is important to mention that it is only used in small-sized stores currently and has not been introduced in large-sized supermarket. The question therefore is how impactful this technology might be for such supermarkets in the future.
References:
Amazon. (n.d.). Just Walk Out. Bringing Just Walk Out Shopping to Your Stores. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://justwalkout.com/
Berthiaume, D. (2022, September 29). Hudson opening two frictionless stores at LAX, one with Just Walk Out. Chain Store Age. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.chainstoreage.com/hudson-opening-two-frictionless-stores-lax-one-just-walk-out
