What is Amazon Go ?
Amazon Go is a chain of convenience store with the most advanced shopping technology, literally with no checkout required. Yes, you read it right, no Checkout – Just Grab and Go
We have seen many supermarket industry efforts for faster checkout, self-service checkout, and OPUS stores. Still, Amazon pretty much caught the industry off guarded with the whole concept of no checkout at all. Amazon initially introduced the concept in 2016, and since then, it has garnered a lot of attention. They already have 26 store locations open and have announced store locations in Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, and New York City as of 2020. Amazon has been trying to get into brick-and-mortar for some time with their Amazon books store and Amazon 4-star, so might be it was not a surprise after all
Another interesting that happened just lately was that amazon announced a new service line by making the Amazon Go technology available to other retailers and named their first partner, OTG (airport-focused hospitality group)
How does Amazon Go works ?
The checkout-free shopping experience is made possible by the same technologies used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning. Just Walk Out Technology automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves and keeps track of them in a virtual cart. When the customer has done the shopping, they can leave the store. A little later, you will get a receipt and charge your Amazon account.
A Quick App Introduction
The free Amazon GO App is available both for iOS and Android. Users need to download the app from the app stores. To enter the Amazon Go physical store as a customer, you will need to scan the app’s QR code on the turnstile for authentication. Once you enter the store, you can browse and shop like in any other store. The app also allows you to add others to the same account, to charge the purchases on the same bill. For the payment, you can connect the app to the Amazon account, and some of the stores also let you pay in cash. The whole experience is to provide users hassle-free and cashier-less shopping experience
What is in the future for Amazon Go ?
As of 2020, there are more than 25 Amazon Go stores in Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, and New york. It would be interesting to see how Amazon will scale this revolutionary technology in the future. We already know some recent development, like making the technology available to other businesses. Also, as per Business Insider, amazon plans to integrate the technology in Wholefood stores by Q2 2021 (Amazon acquired wholefoods in 2017). And might further expand by licensing this technology to other retailers.
Though Amazon Go does not seem like an immediate threat to the traditional grocery store, it indeed can change the way we shop in the future. Many other retailers will soon join in experimenting with the new model and integrated technology to faster checkouts. It does sound exciting as a consumer to use cutting-edge technology and have a seamless shopping experience.
Share your experience if you could visit the Amazon Go Stores and your thoughts about this technology to change your shopping experience. I am looking forward to connecting with you all.