US-based eCommerce giant Amazon’s cashierless ‘Just Walk Out’ technology is coming to a full-size grocery store for the first time, according to the company.
The new 25,000-square-foot Amazon Fresh store is much bigger than the 10,400-square-foot Amazon Go Grocery store that launched last year, or its standard 1,200 and 2,300-square-feet Go stores, and marking a small milestone as the company grows up its technology. The new store will be the company’s fourteenth Fresh site in the US when it opens on June 17th.
When the company previously opened a 35,000 square foot Amazon Fresh store last year using its high-tech Dash Carts, it prompted speculation that the company’s Just Walk Out technology wasn’t fit for larger stores.
However, Amazon has long maintained that Just Walk Out, which uses a system of overhead cameras and pressure-sensitive shelves to automatically detect what customers place in their carts, can scale up to any size store.
Amazon’s Vice President of Physical Retail and Technology, Mr. Dilip Kumar remarked that “bringing Just Walk Out technology to a full-size grocery space with the Amazon Fresh store in the US showcases the technology’s continued ability to scale and adapt to new environments and selection. I’m thrilled it’ll help even more customers enjoy an easier and faster way to shop and can’t wait to get their feedback on this latest Just Walk Out offering.”
Amazon said that customers will be offered to choose a checkout option when they arrive at the new shop and traditional checkouts will still be available for customers who prefer them. If consumers choose to use Just Walk Out, they can enter the store by scan a QR code in the Amazon app, insert a linked credit or debit card, or scan their palm. They are automatically billed for the products in their virtual cart after they leave the store, and a receipt is sent digitally to them.
In addition to Amazon’s stores, the company also offers Just Walk Out to third-party retailers.
