Amazon's Cashierless Shopping Tech Enters Third-Party Stores
Amazon.com said Wednesday that it plans to push its cashless shopping technology to more third-party stores this year, even as it reduces its reliance on its technology.
About 140 stores use a system called “Just Walk Out,” which allows customers to enter the store by searching an app and pick up their items without paying at the registers, the online retailer said Amazon will more than double that this year.
The company this month denied a report by the technology website The Information that the brand was relying on human reviewers in India to watch customers as they shop.
“Associates don’t watch live video of customers for credit cards which are automatically monitored by computer vision systems,” Amazon said in a statement but added that human search engines are needed to help provide accuracy has improved.
The Just Walk Out tech has spread to third-party stores, such as sports stadiums, airports, and Hudson News locations while Amazon plans to roll out the technology in its existing Fresh grocery stores.
Instead, it relies on a “smart” shopping cart that lists items to users charges them when they leave the store, and sends digital receipts. Amazon said Fresh customers spend more when they use carts than those who don’t.
Amazon is trying to keep up with the likes of Walmart with its Fresh stores, delivery channels, and its 2017 purchase of Whole Foods for more than $13 billion. But Just Walk Out has been hamstrung by how it works, including delays in customer visits, missed products and receipts, sometimes for hours or days.
Amazon cut hundreds of jobs from its physical retail group earlier this month, in cuts over the past few months. There have been several attempts at brick-and-mortar store concepts that he has since backed down from, including bookstores and stores with highly reviewed items on the web.