Developing its products remains an area of strength for Amazon, especially as it iterates on its in-house biometric payments technology piloted within its expansive Amazon Go convenience stores.
Its Just Walk Out technology uses computer vision, sensor fusion, and advanced machine learning to enable a frictionless payments experience, and is based on technology that the company has patented in the past.
Just Walk Out is available through the Amazon app. It grants access to the store and allows customers to grab products and go without needing to stop and check out to pay.
In addition to convenience stores, the company launched the grocery store chain Amazon Fresh in 2020. Customers who pay for their purchases using an Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card or an Amazon Prime Store Card get 5% cash back. The grocery stores also include Amazon’s smart cart — the Dash Cart — which automatically identifies products, allowing shoppers to check out without a cashier or using a self-checkout lane. Inside the store, Amazon’s Echo Show devices enable customers to ask Alexa to ask for assistance.
Today, more than 20 Amazon Go stores are live in Seattle, New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. The company has also opened 23 Amazon Fresh locations in D.C. and 6 other states.
In 2021, Amazon’s global physical store sales (which include Amazon Go and Fresh) grew steadily to reach $4.6B in Q4’21. The company is also investing heavily in hiring, with plans to employ 1,500 individuals for 6 new Amazon Fresh stores in Southern California alone.
Again, while the company typically does not make its proprietary technology available commercially, it looks to be taking a different approach with Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh.
In March 2020, Amazon said that it had partnered with OTG to deploy its cashierless technology at CIBO Express stores at airports. Two such stores have been opened at Newark Liberty International Airport. Amazon has also announced plans to introduce cashierless shopping at 2 Whole Foods locations in D.C. and California. The stores are equipped with Amazon One palm reading devices for biometric payments, and customers can use the Amazon or Whole Foods app to shop. Customers will also have access to self-checkout lanes if they don’t want to use Just Walk Out technology.
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