Amazon is arguably one of the world’s most innovative companies and in the past week, it has launched its cashier-less “Just Walk Out” systems that have been adopted in 25 Amazon Go convenience stores and now in their Amazon Go grocery stores.
Like the convenience stores, shoppers use the Amazon Go app to scan in as they enter the store, then shop. Cameras and sensors track selected items and add them to a virtual cart. As they exit, their payment cards on file are charged.
Reportedly, Amazon will soon begin selling the “Just Walk Out” technology to other retailers.
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It is a given that the upsides will be impactful — asides from not having to deal with long queues at pay points, store employees will be freed up to handle other important things like organizing and restocking shelves.
opt technology in their daily lives, we have to wonder if this is the technology that we should jump on as well. The idea behind this is exciting as it pushes electronic acceptance, but we must pay attention to the following:
- This may have to be restricted to high-end retailers that serve a very limited number of the population, so you can’t help but wonder if the investment will be worth the returns.
- Restrictions on the way we use cards will impact adoption – we are expected to provide PIN authorization for majority (if not all) of our transactions and that will be a barrier to smooth user experience.
- Adoption by retailers may be a battle because they have to consider risk, which may include theft and losses due to human interference.
With all that said, we will keep an eye on this and see what the adoption is like in the US and other countries around the World.
